Someone turn me 'round
by Sagarmatha
Summary: What if Cassie had saved Malachi from being sacrificed by Ella but had not died. It might be helpful to read my first three short stories for Hex to get a sense of where I'm coming from with the Cassie and Az relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_Praise this world to the Angel,_ _not the inexpressible: you_

_cannot impress him with glories of feeling: in the universe,_

_where he feels more deeply, you are a novice. _

_**Duino Elegies - Ninth Elegy - Rainer Maria Rilke**_

* * *

As Cassie stared at the baby crying on the alter, she could hear Ella softly intoning a prayer of some kind. She could also hear Azazeal saying that he loved her, loved their son, please stop this. Her mind was whirling and she didn't know what to do. Malachi was her son, part of her, and he was cold, crying, and about to meet his end. How was this going to be okay? 

Suddenly, at the last moment, Cassie, moving faster then she had thought possible, reached out and snatched Malachi from under Ella's descending blade. She held him close to her and closed her eyes.

Thelma let out a shocked squeal and Ella yelled, "Cassie what are you doing?"

Cassie moved the boy back so that she could look into his eyes for a moment, then with a quick glance at Ella, she turned and walked quickly out of the church, brushing past Azazeal without acknowledging him.

Azazeal shot a glare at Ella and followed her out of the church at a distance.

Cassie did not have any thought of where she was going but she walked with purpose and trusted that she would find her way. She could feel Azazeal following her but he was not her concern.

Eventually, she found herself entering Azazeal's abandoned church and for a moment scolded herself for not walking back to the school, but she figured that all of the baby's things were here so this was probably the best choice. She walked directly to the crib and put the now sleeping Malachi down. She walked over the to couch and sat down on the edge of the cushion with her elbows resting on her knees as if she would be getting up in a minute. She was looking off in the opposite direction from the crib but she wasn't really looking at anything. Her thoughts were swirling around what she had just done. What was she going to do now? She's is student who has a baby who is responsible for the release of 200 fallen angels from the abyss and who is growing too fast for her to bring to school. The baby's father won't leave her alone and may have more in store for this child than she will stand for. What was she thinking?

She noticed Azazeal out of the counter of her eye, now, standing in the middle of the church just at the bottom of the steps up to the platform where the alter had been when this had been a real church. Then she began to realize that Malachi had been crying for a few moments now but she had not noticed. She moved her head slightly and looked at Azazeal, who looked a bit worried. He gestured towards the baby and took a step towards the crib, but paused. She waved her hand at him dismissively and resumed her former posture.

He walked over to the crib and gently picked Malachi up in his arms. Bouncing him a little, he walked in to the back and returned a few minutes later with Malachi happily sucking on a bottle of milk. He paced slowly around the room with the baby, occasionally sneaking a glace at Cassie. Eventually, Malachi was done and falling back to sleep, so Azazeal put him back in the crib and took the bottle back to its proper place. He then went to sit down behind Cassie on the couch, but he did not speak.

Cassie's mind acknowledged his presence when he sat down, but it was another few moments before she broke the silence and said:

"I want to know what will happen."

"What will happen?" he responded.

Quite suddenly she whirled around and looked him straight in the eye with a piercing glare.

"Look, I just save my son from a ritual sacrifice because he is still an innocent child, but you I don't trust for a second, I never have. I'm in this now and you will tell me what is going on or I will take Malachi as far away from you as I can get."

Azazeal's eyes flashed with shock, anger, sadness, and pain all at the same time, but Cassie could not read these in him right now through all the anger she had built up to deal with him.

"You cannot take him," he said quietly, but she heard you are not capable of taking him.

"You just watch me," she responded with a wicked glint in her eyes. She was fed up with all of this deception and all these secrets. But Azazeal looked truly lost for words so she tried to say with an even tone, "What is Malachi's destiny?"

He did not respond right away but eventually started to describe the end of days and how Malachi would take control of the school in order to gain strength to bring about the final battle. He told her how Malachi would gain control of the student's souls and finally sacrifice a pure soul to force God in to a confrontation with the angels he had thrown out of heaven.

"And what will happen to humans?" she asked, shocked that this situation was much more grave than she realized.

"I don't know," he said. She gave him a look.

"I really don't know for sure. It was never my concern."

They looked at each other and both were thinking and evaluating this new place they found themselves in. Cassie knew everything now, all of his secrets, and she didn't know whether to hate him and try to put an end to this or feel sorry for him and try to convince him to find another way.

Cassie stood and slowly walked around the room as she considered what she should do. Azazeal watched her from the couch and after a while rose to stand in front of her and stop her pacing. She stopped short of him but did not raise her eyes to his face.

"What will you do?" he asked, but she did not respond.

"You know that I love yo..," he started, but she sharply cut him off and said,

"Don't start that again!" with an exasperated look on her face.

"I don't understand," he said, hurt but almost amused because this was a typical reaction from her.

"You wouldn't would you? You think that's all it takes? All a woman needs is an "I love you" and may be a little sex and she's happy again, right? Women through the ages are essentially the same, hmm? Well, not this time."

She had gotten agitated during this speech and he reached out slowly to still her, but in her frantic state her brain flashed "threat" and she pushed against his chest and stepped back. He moved forward again undaunted and said in an irritated tone, "Why do you always push me away. You are mine."

Before she knew what she was doing, she had slapped him as hard as she could squarely across the face. His head lingered to the side for a moment before turning back to her with tears in his eyes. There was nothing left of the defenses that usually covered the windows to his soul and for the second time she saw the depth of his loneliness and humanity, but she also saw to her shock that the love that he had be professing to her all along was real. She was trapped by his gaze and stared open mouth at all that he was, but his eyes slowly closed and he sank to his knees in front of her.

Strangely it took this violent act to strip him of his arrogance, for the moment, and make him realized that it was this shield that had kept her from trusting him all this time. He waited with his head bowed, tears still gently rolling down his face, and prayed that it was not too late.

It seemed like ages that he waited but as soon as his knees had touched the ground, her hands were reaching out to him slowly and finally came to rest on either side of his head. She did not lift his head but leaned down, kissed the top of his bowed head, and ran her hands down to his shoulders. He leaned forward and began to wrap his arms around her, but she slipped through his arms down in front of him and pressed herself against him.

What were they going to do now?


	2. Chapter 2

As was to be expected, to distract themselves from their circumstances, they ended up in each other's arms. The suffered such pleasure at each other's hands that release was both longed for and feared, but the end, they both gave in.

The next morning Azazeal woke to a disturbing sense of déjà vu as Cassie was not next to him. He body tensed and he sat up quickly, but was soon reassured by soft baby sounds coming from the crib, just as they should be. He looked on the bed next to him and there was a note that read "FOOD!!!," that brought a small smile to his face. He needed to eat and sleep to maintain this human form but he ate rarely and never at home. That's what restaurants were for. Besides, as with all things human, he always sought the best and most decadent. She was used to normal things and probably wanted toast or cereal or something and the only food in the place was for Malachi.

He rose, dressed, and went to look in on Malachi. As he bent down to pick up the child, a chill ran down his spine and he sensed a presence behind him. He stopped and turned around slowly and as nonchalantly as he could. When he turned, he saw exactly who he was expecting.

The man was dressed like Azazeal, but in all black with dark black hair and beautifully tanned skin. He dark eyes shined with a preternatural twinkle.

"How is everything going?" he asked, with a friendly smile.

"Everything is fine," Azazeal responded with characteristic arrogance.

The man suddenly became angry, "Do not let that woman ruin our plan. You must control her! She cannot be allowed to stop what we have started."

"She does not need to be controlled," he said through slightly gritted teeth, and then more casually, "She will have no impact."

"Good," the man said, now a picture of cordially, "I leave you to it then." He moved towards the door but disappeared before he took more than one step.

A few moments later Cassie entered the front of the church with the expected grocery bag and Azazeal wiped the annoyed look off of his face to smile at her.

* * *

Later that night as they settled down to bed Cassie said, "Who was that man that was here earlier today?" 

"What man?" he said.

She rolled her eyes at him, " I can still feel the disturbance that he left in this place even now, who was he?" She was annoyed, but somehow the visit from a strangely powerful being was amusing because now she could believe just about anything was possible, so her face bore a smile she tried to control.

"Well," he began, "Mine is not the only group of fallen angels."

"And his name is…" she said raising her eyebrows with a look that said that she had an idea.

A smile touched the corners of his mouth and he made a little face, but before he could speak she said, "Wait, I don't think I want to know," in an amused tone.

His smile widened and he leaned in to kiss her. They both quickly forgot about the man but thoughts of what this man might do worried both of them in the coming days.

* * *

On Monday morning, Cassie returned to school and was immediately confronted by Thelma the second she entered her room. 

"What the hell are you doing Cassie?"

"Leave me alone Thelma," she said, going through her things and getting some clothes together.

"I should have known that you couldn't resist a good shag," she said with a wry smile.

"It's more that that Thelma," Cassie replied, smiling despite herself, "I just couldn't let Ella kill an innocent child and now I feel as though this is truly the only way to stop this now, by using my influence over Malachi."

"Well let's hope it works."

* * *

Ella confronted Cassie later in the day after classes were over and she was not so friendly. She came out of nowhere and pushed Cassie up against a bank of lockers. 

"What could you possibly have been thinking?" she hissed.

Suddenly, Ella went flying backwards and was flung against the opposite wall. Cassie's shocked expression gave away the fact that she had not actually intended to do that. Cassie was aware, however, that this was currently the limit of her ability and that she was not capable of holding Ella back.

"Well, well," Ella chuckled, "You've certainly developed."

"Ella, just leave us alone."

"I can't do that. Just let me help you. There's still time."

"I don't need you kind of help, Ella. I'm not lost. I know what I'm doing. Just trust me."

And with that Cassie left Ella to wonder how she was going to kill the child. She had originally thought that she would just wait until Cassie was alone with the child so that she could either convince Cassie to let her do the right thing or she would kill her. Now Cassie's new strength put that plan in jeopardy.

* * *

A couple of days later, when Cassie came back to the church as usual after her classes were over, Azazeal was not in a good mood. He had used the past couple of days alone with Malachi to think things over, but earlier in the day he had realized that he was done thinking and that he was now stuck here with this baby. He was restlessly pacing about the room. 

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm stuck here all day and I have business to take care of," he ranted.

"Well, you never mentioned that before," she responded annoyed, "besides babies need to be watched all the time and you're the one who got me into this. What did you expect?"

"That's why I had Jo," he said still annoyed, "Someone needs to take care of him," he gestured flippantly towards the crib.

Moving close to her and speaking more gently he said, "He needs his mother. He's much happier when you are around. Can't you spend more time here?" He smiled, lowered and tilted his head, and she allowed him to kiss her.

He was clearly in manipulation mode and Cassie was just about to fly off the handle when she realized that the only way she was going to set herself up as an influence over Malachi was to spend as much time with him as possible. She could not allow Jo or any other of Azazeal's minions to look after him. Azazeal was certainly not going to stay here and play the dutiful father any longer. So to keep the peace and maintain her plan, she agreed to drop out of school and stay with Malachi, for now.

* * *

One afternoon a few days later, when Cassie was getting ready to take Malachi out for a walk, she came back into the front room and found a man dressed in black leaning over Malachi's crib. He was taller and bigger than Azazeal, darker, and had a more imposing presence, even from behind. 

"What are you doing?"

"Oh hello, I just dropped by to check in on you both," he said, turning with a friendly smile.

"And who are you?" she asked in her most self-important voice.

Cassie knew that this was the man who had been here before and she was terrified, but she would not allow this man to see how scared she was.

"You can call me…Uncle Larry," he said, still pleasant and friendly.

"Hi," she said moving towards the crib and between him and Malachi as casually as she could manage, making a show of turning her back to him as she fiddled with the boy. She picked Malachi up and turned back towards the man whose face was now an angry one.

"YOU will not be allowed to ruin MY plans. So don't get any ideas."

"Your plans?"

Then man smiled maliciously and grabbed her arm.

"Get your hands off me," her eyes flashed and she was no longer the least bit scared, but so angry that he would threaten her rather than reason with her that she gave him a shove with the arm that he had grabbed, but he held on.

They were locked in each other gaze and the man suddenly let her go, saying, "Ah, I see what he sees in you," under his breath. He too had now seen that this woman, with all of her fire and strength, would completely accept him if only he would stop being a threat to her and her world. The notion was seductive, but his heart was far more hardened than his "brother's." All any of them really wanted was to no longer be outcasts, but they were trapped and separated from humans not only on a physical level but on a spiritual one as well. They were never meant to exist as they did, outside of God's realm, but they couldn't simply become human either. Instead, they were trapped in-between the glory of heaven and the obliviousness of earth.

He had let her go and she begun to back away slowly when Azazeal entered the front of the church and tensed when he saw who was in his house. In an uncharacteristic show of his power, Azazeal was between them in an instant, glaring at the man.

"This is Uncle Larry," Cassie said sarcastically behind them. Malachi was giggling in her arms and was the only person in the room who found this amusing.

"I was just leaving," he said pleasantly and gave Azazeal a glowing smile.

"What a shame," he responded.

The man walked casually past him and stopped for a moment in front of Cassie. He put out his hand and she took it to shake, which seemed natural for some reason, but he deftly put her hand to his lips before she could protest. He then walked down the steps and out the front door with Azazeal watching him.

When he was gone, Cassie and Azazeal both relaxed a little and gravitated towards the couch.

"We need to talk," she said….


	3. Chapter 3

Their "talk" did not go well. Azazeal was no longer interested in letting her in on what was going on and what he had been doing over the past few days, insisting that "This is not your battle to fight, Cassie." This, of course, infuriated Cassie, who felt smack dab in the middle of the whole thing and now she could not be sure that he wasn't planning to follow the original plan. However, as he had always predicted, she was too attached to the boy to try to harm him and she knew that leaving would not be effective. They left each other furious and retreated to separate corners. Later, Azazeal drifted back to her side, as he always did, where he delicately and elegantly put himself back in her good graces. Now that her anger had cooled, Cassie could not help but feel that he was trying to protect her rather than control her, but she did not fully trust that feeling.

They spent several weeks in an uneasy truce, with Azazeal coming and going, and Cassie playing the mother. He was all action while she watched and waited. Despite the fact that they were not on the same page, they managed to remain tender lovers. It appeared that this aspect of their relationship was not affected by the uncertainty of their situation. For Cassie, she gave in because she actually wanted to trust him now and believe that he would not betray her. He was much more human to her now then ever before, having spent day after day with him, but she didn't let herself forget what he was…for very long anyway. For Azazeal, she was the release from his concerns and the reason for all that he was doing, even if she would not have agreed with him. He would not give her up.

With all the activity Azazeal seemed to be involved in, Cassie was beginning to worry that he seemed to be ignoring Malachi. He still doted on the little boy, no longer a baby, when he was home, but was always quickly distracted. Eventually, she was both comforted and worried on a few occasions upon coming back into the room to find Azazeal with Malachi on his lap or sitting cross legged on the floor with the boy teaching him some trick or other. When she would make her presence known the lesson would end and he would invariably leave in a guilty or arrogant manner depending on the day.

* * *

One day when Cassie was playing with Malachi at the near by park, she turned around to see "Larry" watching her from a little ways off. They looked at each other for a moment and then she motioned him over. She did not actually expect him to come over but he did and they sat together on a bench and watched Malachi make a mess of himself in the sandbox.

"If you're going stalk me, I really think I should know your real name," Cassie said.

With a smile he said, "No human knows my real name." He looked a bit sad then and added, "Besides you couldn't pronounce it. The story of my existence," he chuckled.

Cassie turned to him with a questioning look.

"I am referred to in human writings as the Morning Star, so my name has become Lucifer."

"Aha!" she smiled. "And Satan?"

"Well, that's actually a title. It means adversary," he said rather proud of himself.

"Hmm."

After a moment, he became serious and asked, "What is your lover planning?"

"Don't you know?" she asked smartly.

"He has not told you, has he? Interesting!"

"I'm glad this amuses you."

"Don't be angry with him. There are many things you cannot understand. This is not your fight."

"That's what he said. Are you working together or not? Why do you question me about him and then defend him?"

But he simply smiled, got up and walked away.

Lucifer joined her every once in a while at this park and would follow the same ritual of waiting to be invited over once she noticed him. Malachi was getting bigger and bigger each day and was talking now, sort of, but he rarely acknowledged his mother's friend. If Azazeal had been there the boy would not have let him alone, but Malachi seemed to know that this man was not a playing partner.

It was strange to her that he would spend this time with her and Malachi without threatening them, but she decided that she was amidst beings that were far more powerful than herself and she would pick her battles.

Despite saying that she would not understand, Lucifer ended up answering many of Cassie's questions about the fallen angels but he would not discuss Him. She now knew that there were two main groups, Azazeal's and Lucifer's, and a few smaller ones. These angels of various choirs and responsibilities were all thrown in the abyss for various offenses. On an individual basis some could come to earth but could not remain for an extended period, it was not comfortable. Azazeal became an exception when the Egyptian priests banished him, but now he had to have a sacrifice to remain. Malachi's birth had only freed Azazeal's Nephilim, but the rest of them remained trapped. This is why the End of Days had its appeal. Once it started all of the fallen angels would be free and the battle between good and evil that was foretold would still be better than remaining in the abyss. Azazeal had agreed to help them all exchange for their help in having the son he needed to free his followers.

"So the fallen angels just want to be free? That's it?" she asked.

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that but essentially, yes."

"Why can't we just figure out another way?"

He grinned and laughed, "Such a typical human reaction, let's just find another way. I love it."

"I thought you hated us."

"It's not that simple. I do not understand you. I have a natural love of humanity but I am not like you and I have reason to resent you." He paused.

"Let me see if I can explain. This bodily form I take for you is indeed one of my true forms. You will not find another man who looks like me, but it is not my most basic form. I have this form, as most angels do, in order to make appearances to you on His behalf. I speak to you now as a human and appear human but my true nature is very different."

"What do you look like then?" Cassie asked.

"Oh I think you already know," he said, "But I was glorious," he smiled to himself, "and your lover was magnificent."

Cassie blushed a little.

"It is the same with our existence. We are not like you. We were each created for a specific purpose and that purpose has been taken from us and we have been changed. We are essentially single-minded and the confusion of having our purpose taken away was and still is frightening. We have been working ever since to fill that void and free ourselves of our bewilderment and rage and loneliness."

"What does that have to do with tempting us in to evil?"

"Ah, the all important question. Let's just say that it is merely a side-effect."

"I don't understand."

"I know," he said with a wise smile and left her.

* * *

After this last exchange, Cassie came home to find Azazeal waiting for her.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"At the park. You know Malachi really misses y.."

"He was with you, wasn't he?"

She did not answer right away.

"Yes, he sits with us often and he's far more informative that you," she responded defiantly.

"What does he tell you?"

"Oh, lots of things!"

"Cassie you cannot trust him. He would say anything. He may hurt you."

Her immediate reaction was that it was ridiculous, "Oh, he would never hurt me," and that felt so correct to her that it seemed strange because she had been so mistrustful of him in the past. This response made Azazeal angry rather than relieved.

"I love you and I must protect you and Malachi," he said rather forcefully.

"Why? What is it that you're going to use us for?" she responded with a smirk.

He faced changed quickly from anger to sadness and he said quietly, "You don't understand."

"You don't tell my anything," she said as she approached him and put her arms around him.

"Trust me," he beamed.

That night she dreamed of angels and of monsters and of Malachi. She was walking around the town and angels were everywhere mingling with the people. She saw Azazeal, Lucifer, and angels she did not know, so bright and radiant that she could barely look at them, but also saw the same as horribly deformed monsters. They would flash from one form to the other randomly, but she always seemed to know which was which and found that she had names for some of the unknown angels. They looked confused and almost scared as the people looked at them and moved away. She was getting concerned when Malachi, a young man now, walked past her directly to his father. He took his hand, giggled and said, "Stop playing, daddy," and Azazeal appeared as his normal self again. Malachi reached out for another's hand and when their hands met, he too shifted to a normal human appearance. Then, Lucifer in his devil guise put his hand on Malachi's shoulder and also became the man Cassie was so used to seeing. Malachi then turned to his mother and said, "See, mommy, they were just playing." And she woke up with a start.

She looked over at the sleeping Azazeal and reached over to touch his face. He was both an angel and a devil to her. He could be perfectly loving, eerily understanding, and completely available, only to change to a manipulative and arrogant bastard. She was sure that he wanted rest from this but apparently he couldn't. Maybe Malachi was the key.

Azazeal woke and was worried by the look on her face, but she silently distracted him with a kiss and pressed herself against him.

* * *

When Azazeal was out, Lucifer next visited Cassie in the church.

"Morning!" she said when she noticed him at the entrance.

"Good Morning," he replied, "Your lover knows that I visit you, I see."

"How do you know?"

"I have my ways," he said in an annoyed tone, as he had just had to get rid of a Nephilim who was guarding the place.

"Why do you call him that, why don't you call him A.."

"Shhh," he said, "We wouldn't want to call him here, now would we."

She gave him a worried glance.

"He won't like finding me here."

"You're both equally bad for me, I'm sure," she said, amused.

"You are not afraid," he said, partially to himself, shaking his head with amusement.

"Should I be?" she grinned a little and continued to play with Malachi.

"Maybe."

He walked closer to her and before she realized it he was directly behind her with is hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him.

"I have come to say goodbye. The battle will begin soon enough and I will not have time for our little visits."

"But Malachi is not old enough to…"

"Yes," he smiled indulgently. "I hope that you are not harmed by our little war. I must seek my fulfillment, but I do not wish take it from my brother. Whatever will happen will happen, as they say."

"I am more worried about what you have planned for Malachi."

"I have enjoyed my time with you more than you know. It has been so long since I have told our story."

He just smiled and turned to go, but suddenly Malachi called to him with a word that Cassie did not understand. He slowly turned back to Malachi with a mysterious look on his face.

"I know what it is that you seek," Malachi said looking directly into his eyes.

"Do you now?" he replied with a hint of challenge in his voice.

"I am sorry for you," was his only reply.


	4. Chapter 4

As Cassie walked into town, she appreciated being alone for the first time in months. She had insisted on this day to herself to get a break and see the outside world again, and she was already feeling more relaxed. Azazeal had been far too obliging for her liking but she couldn't argue about getting her way so she left Malachi with him in the early afternoon for a long walk. Just as she was reaching for the door to go into a café, she was confronted by Ella and Thelma.

"And what have you been up to?" Ella said.

"Oh not much. I'm surprised that I haven't see you around trying to kill me or my son lately."

Thelma chimed in "Well, I don't know, it may be that we didn't expect THE Prince of Darkness to be protecting you." Ella gave her an angry look.

"Him? He was just…"

"Yes, I'm sure he was, but really Cassie your choice in friends is becoming suspect."

"Enough," Ella interjected, "Cassie you have to bring Malachi to me. It's the only way."

"I don't believe that."

"So you actually trust them now, do you?"

"No, but Malachi is almost a man now and he's not the evil creature that you made him out to be."

"It's not him but what they will use him for that's the problem."

"Well, I'm not going to let you kill him so forget it."

"At least tell me what has been going on, what you've seen"

"Nothing out of the ordinary really."

"Except for the Devil…guy," Thelma added helpfully.

Cassie rolled her eyes at them and walked off.

* * *

On coming home, Cassie entered the church to find it filled with a large number of identically dressed men and women standing in groups of two's or three's chatting quietly amongst themselves. It was calm and inviting like a strange dinner party that she hadn't known she was throwing. She ran her eyes through the crowd and to her surprise she saw Malachi running in and out of these groups with such a look of joy on his face that it brought a smile to her face. Suddenly, the melodic sounds of their voices stopped and all turned their heads to look at her. 

"Mom!" Malachi's voice broke the silence as he ran full speed at her and careened into her with a big hug. She hugged him back for a moment and then gently pulled him to her side.

Azazeal was now coming towards her through the crowd and when he got to her he said, "Let me introduce you."

She allowed herself to be lead around the room and to be introduced to each and every one of these peculiar beings. She reached out her hand to the first one Azazeal brought to her, but instead of shaking her hand, he took her hand in between his and smiled serenely as he looked at her, but said nothing and then let her go. As soon as she turned, the next did the same thing, and then the next. In between groups, she took the opportunity to look back at the first person to greet her and she unexpectedly realized that she knew his name and that he filled with a sense of relief at being here. As she met more and more of these angels, which she now accepted that they were, she began to be able to catch their name and greeting as they held her hand. Most were pleasant but there was, mixed in with the relief and happiness, some intense sadness and anger, though not at her. There was also a great deal of uncertainty and anticipation in them, but they seemed genuinely contented to be here. They were certainly not what she had expected, and she could tell that even though each was beautiful, each seemed to be dimmed as if a light had been turn out inside them. Only Azazeal seemed to be undimmed and he looked truly happy for the first time in a while.

She had lost track of Malachi but found him waiting for her in the altar area after she had met everyone. He was still delighted and said, "I helped them," but then ran off again.

Cassie turned to Azazeal with a questioning look, "Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

He smiled and said, "These are the first of my Nephilim to be summoned back to Earth. Now there are enough here so that they can begin…"

"Oh no."

"…summoning the others themselves," he paused, "They will not harm you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. An..And why are they not scaly monsters exactly?"

He chuckled at her, "We all have our human form. It's just not easy to hold and is not as powerful, but Malachi apparently has a knack for helping us keep it. I knew he'd come in handy," he said with a half-joking tone.

She gave him an annoyed look and said, "And?…What will our guests be doing now that they have arrived?"

He looked at her with a face that said that he wanted to tell her but was afraid to do so. He really didn't know why but he just assumed that she would not be in favor of what he was planning. It was silly to be so in love with someone and yet not feel that you could tell them that you were doing the only thing you could think of that would keep you together. He supposed that maybe because he was so afraid of losing her that he created this feeling himself, but now he would find out for sure.

"They are here to fight your new friend who will undoubtedly come after Malachi, and perhaps you too, to force the End of Days. We are now free which was part of the agreement but soon he will realize that I do not intend to keep my promise and free him and his followers. There will be a battle but not with Him," he glanced upwards, "it will be between the fallen."

She was shocked by this and moved to sit down on the couch. She did not speak for several minutes, during which Azazeal felt uncomfortable.

"You…I thought…Why?" she managed to get out.

"I had to help my friends, Cassie, they have been with me for a long time," he said in a anxious tone, "But we will not let them bring the End of Days and things will remain as they are now."

She said nothing.

"We can live among you unnoticed an…," he began.

"Wait! You're not going to take Malachi from me? I don't have to fight you? And in fact, you're going to keep the forces of e…well the other forces of evil from taking him?"

"We are not evil and neither are the others actually," he responded, slightly hurt.

"That's what he said…I just don't understand."

At this point Malachi appeared out of now where and said, "I understand, mom, remember?"

She smiled indulgently at him, "I don't remember, tell me again, honey," but he ran off again.

As she watched after him Azazeal said, "Cassie, I would do anything to protect you and Malachi."

She turned to him searching his face, she dropped her eyes and said, "I thought…I did not expect that you would give up your plan…but then I always assumed that it was your plan," she looked up at him, "I suppose I'm really going to have to believe that you love me now too," she smiled.

He smiled back and joked to ease his regret that she had not believed it all along, "I'm touched."

She smiled, looked out at their guest, and said, "Will they all be staying here?"

* * *

The next day when she woke she thought she was alone, but when she got up she saw one of the angels had stayed behind, apparently to look after her. 

"Where is Malachi?" she asked.

"With the others," he replied pleasantly.

"Can I get you anything, Araqiel?" she asked as she was about to get some breakfast. She was starting to get used to the fact that she could remember each of their names so easily.

"No thank you," he said but he followed her to the kitchen.

He was a beautiful, blond and blue-eyed man with slightly curly hair. Somehow he managed to follow her around the place without really seeming to and finally she said, "What do you think they are up to?"

"They're summoning more of us. It takes a lot of effort."

"And you're here with me because…"

"You need to be protected," he interjected helpfully.

"Why is it that I get more out of you and Mr. Evil, then I ever get out of Azazeal?" she said with a smile.

Araqiel smiled mischievously but did not answer.

"Can you win this?" she blurted out.

"I do not know, but we will try."

She made a face.

"We were originally sent here to teach humanity and protect you from those who fell before. So it makes sense that we would do this now," he said with that same helpful tone.

She could now tell that he was a much simpler creature than some of the others, but despite he easy manner, he could be extremely dangerous if told to harm. He did not have the self-importance of Azazeal or the sadness and anger of others. He did not question, he just followed. She took this opportunity to try to find out all that she could about what was going to happen.

"Why is it that Azazeal says that your group can remain here and live with humans, but the others cannot?"

"Oh, I suppose some of them could," he said thinking to himself, "but most are not as near to you as we are." He paused, reflecting, "They could not be happy here," he concluded.

"Why is that?"

He thought hard but all he could come up with was "They do not fit."

He was with her the rest of the day and the weeks that followed and she had to admit that enjoyed his company because he was very informative and managed to not annoy her by constantly hanging around. She actually appreciated his presence and even more so when Malachi was with her because the reality of this situation was beginning to sink in.

* * *

The night before the battle began it was as if she knew, however Azazeal remained unaware of the immediacy of the threat, which was just as well, for this night may be their last together. He had started to miss her because of all of the time he was spending away from her, but he did not tell her this. He was so delighted that she was not unhappy with what he had planned that he didn't want to upset it, by speaking too much. As much as he had a knack for using words to pacifiy her, he also had a knack for saying the wrong thing. Besides he needed to remain focused on the task at hand. 

He got into bed with her and she immediately reached out to him. She was more insistent than usual and the touch of her hands and her kisses felt possessive. He delicately led her to her climax, but afterwards, when he would normally have been devising how to pleasure her again, he waited and gently kept her aroused. It wasn't long before she turned to him again with the same intensity as before. Following her cues he allowed her to lead him through whatever positions she liked, each more pleasurable than the last. He was on fire and a normal man may not have been able to endure it, but he was capable of taking whatever she could give and staying here as long as she wanted. She would let him know when this was over. They continued like this for what seemed like forever, but he simply followed her and did not seek to distract her.

When she was ready to release him, they were sitting up together, facing each other in the middle of the bed, with her wrapped around him. As she moved against him she glanced at his face, then leaned in and gave him a ravenous kiss. It felt to him that she whispered in his head, "Now…come for me." At this, his eyes dropped closed as the desire built within him and allowed himself to let go. When the bright, hot sensation ripped through him and the waves of pleasure began to crash over him, he clung to her as the rest of his body moved uncontrollably. The feeling was intense and every inch of him ached but he inexplicably felt as though he could not give enough so he willed it to continue. As his heart and body silently begged her to accept him, love him again, expressing itself in ways he could never accomplish with words, he forced himself to surrender everything and slowly faded away.

When he awoke, she was leaning on her elbow watching him with a curious smile and he was now laying on his back looking up at her. She almost laughed at the serious look on his face, but she was sure that he wasn't currently aware of what his face was doing so she just leaned in, kissed him, and laid herself next to him. She was aware that Azazeal had been a very different lover tonight but dissmised the idea that it could have any significance. The problem was that she did not realized that she loved him only in that private way that one does when you think you'll never get to be with that person. The things about them that you love and make you smile are your secret and you always hide your delight from them. Cassie was uncomfortable with any signs from him that he truly loved her, because acknowledging them would cause her to feel more than she was ready to.

He was not entirely certain why he had reacted so deeply to her on this night, but he was not ashamed. You would expect that an arrogant man would deny, even to himself, that he had experienced such surrender at the hands of a woman, but Azazeal was not a human man. The feeling that she had somehow brought out of him was familiar to him, to all of them, but it had been a long time since he had felt the need to express it: the ecstasy of complete adoration.


	5. Chapter 5

Cassie woke up with a start and shot upright in the bed. She looked around the room for someone, anyone, but she was strangely alone. When she got up and went into the other room, she found Malachi waiting anxiously on the couch. She could never quite get used to how fast he had grown, however up until now she had always been able to think of him as a boy, as her son. In the past few weeks since Azazeal had told her about the plan to hold back Lucifer, Malachi had grown to look her age and now she frequently shook her head to herself when she saw him. This was too weird, she laughed to herself.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh good, you're up. They said not to wake you."

Just then the sound of thunder shook church violently and Cassie froze.

"It's the angels fighting," Malachi told her, "it's been going on for a while now." He had taken to call them angels rather than fallen or Nephilim ever since the day they had gathered in their church.

"The whole town will hear," Cassie responded.

"They can't hear it," Malachi responded with a smile.

"Then why didn't it wake me up?"

"You don't hear it with your ears, it's…come sit with me. I have something to tell you."

Cassie walked over to the couch and gave Malachi an apprehensive look.

"Where to I begin?" he asked himself. "Mother I have a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yes, now hear me out."

Malachi went on to explain that he believed that he had something that he could offer to Lucifer that would at least put an end to this conflict for the time being. He started by explaining to Cassie what Lucifer had hinted at a few months ago, that these fallen angels sought a purpose to fulfill them and distract them from the fact that they were no longer in God's presence, but this purpose had to be congruent with their original purpose. If they could find it, they could exist relatively happily. To put it in terms he hoped she would understand, he used Azazeal as his example.

"Look, Father was Gregori, a watcher, and it was his duty to teach us and protect humans from Lucifer who had fallen before and was hell bent on corrupting humanity in revenge. I'm not exactly clear on how but he and his follow Gregori were corrupted and, of course, were also cast out of heaven. And it was Lucifer who turned their sadness to hate and gave Azazeal the purpose of having a son to free them all. When he fell in love with you and you actually accepted him, even for the short time that you did, his focus on that purpose wavered because loving and protecting you is more harmonious with his function."

"Function? That's not very romantic," Cassie interjected.

"Well, you have no idea how devoted to you he would become if you…but that's beside the point," he said, "Lucifer is the same way only he was the first and most glorious of all of the angels. What he needs is far more difficult to find that what the Watchers need."

"How do you know all of this?" she asked.

"No one told me if that's what you mean. It must be kind of like being bilingual, I guess. I just understand them."

* * *

Suddenly, Azazeal appeared in the air towards the entrance to the church and crashed down on the floor. He began to slowly to get to his hands and knees when Lucifer appeared and floated gracefully down beside him. 

"You can have the damn girl, just give me Malachi," Lucifer said through gritted teeth.

Neither of them realized that both Cassie and Malachi were slightly hidden and watching from the back of the church.

"I will not."

"Hm," he said with playful thoughtfulness, "are you worried that she will not have you if you do? Well, I think that after all you've done already, she may as well forgive you for this too," he with a wicked smile.

Azazeal looked up at Lucifer and shook his head. He had gotten to a position with one foot on the floor and one knee down. With a quick spring he launched himself in the air and disappeared. Lucifer laughed and followed after him.

* * *

Cassie and Malachi were shocked by this exchange. Cassie more so because she didn't know they still flew, but Malachi soon drew her attention back to the discussion of his offer for Lucifer. The exchange that they saw did not bode well for their side. 

It sounded like as good a plan as any, but Malachi wanted to go find Lucifer now.

"Why now in the middle of all this? What if we win?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know that we can actually win so much as hold him at bay. I want to put an end to this now"

Malachi was adamant so Cassie insisted that if Malachi was going to go find Lucifer, she was going with him.

* * *

Malachi took them to the edge of the abyss which was a featureless world with the ground covered in mist and an eerily bright cloudy-red sky. Here the thunder-like sounds were louder and you could see flashes of light illuminate the red sky above. They could also hear what sounded like clashes of metal, shouting voices, and the distant lash of a whip with the muffled cries of its victim. As they moved forward it appeared that the landscape did change quite unexpectedly as they passed through a veil of mist and came upon two angels fighting. They were tangled in what appeared to be a wrestling match, but when one of the angels got the better of the other and threw his adversary to the ground a sword appeared in his hand and he quickly stabbed the other in the chest. As the wounded angel dissipated in to the mist, both Cassie and Malachi realized they had no idea which side the winning angel was on. They tried to slowly back away through the mist, but the victorious angel spotted them and immediately appeared in front of them. 

To their great relief, the smiling face that greeted them was non-other than Araqiel, who did not appear to be bothered at all by what he had just done, but was more concerned about their presence there.

"You shouldn't be here. How did you get here anyway?"

Cassie couldn't help being amused by how casually he asked these questions.  
"Malachi brought us here."

"Oh, well Azazeal won't be happy if he finds you here. It's very dangerous," he said scolding them a little.

Just then another angel rushed into their little mist pocket and Araqiel turned lightning quick to engage him. He knocked them both out of Cassie's and Malachi's sight and they took the opportunity to move on to continue their search for Lucifer.

As they wandered in the mists, they came upon various groups of fighting angels without warning, as the sounds in this place were not particularly helpful in determining where the action was. They managed to stay unnoticed, well at least unacknowledged, and they were seeing more and more combatants so they figured that they were getting closer to the center where they hoped to find Lucifer. The noise of the fighting was also growing stronger and the slow, monotonous sound of the whip and the corresponding cries were getting more distinct and miserable.

Cassie was getting more and more fearful, but Malachi charged ahead as if nothing could harm him. She hoped that he could protect her and then scolded herself for letting him come here at all. She was his mother, she was supposed to protect him not the other way around, but she thought that perhaps the fact that he now looked old enough for her to date was throwing her off a bit. Of course he may not have listened to her anyway. He was getting a little old to let her tell him what to do.

They began to notice that the angels they were seeing now were taller and bigger than the first ones they came upon. Some of these took a moment to glance at them, but none seemed interesting in harming them or stopping them.

"Maybe we should just ask one of them where he is," Cassie suggested.

Malachi gave her a funny look and replied, "Uh, I don't want to be labeled as a guy who doesn't ask for directions but I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Right!" she said "Sorry."

As they passed through the next veil of mist and came upon the next view, they were initially only struck by the fact that it was not the usual pair fighting angels that they had become so used to seeing, but then the details of the scene began to sink in. Cassie stopped dead in her tracks and gasped as she saw that Azazeal was striped to the waist and bound tightly around some kind of post while another angel stood a few feet away with a long lash trailing behind him as he got ready to strike again. She also spotted Lucifer looking on proudly and then she jumped as the lash cracked against Azazeal's bare back and he cried out in pain. Lucifer said something to Azazeal that they were too far away to hear and Cassie turned to Malachi with a helpless look on her face.

* * *

Lucifer was really enjoying this, more than expected, he thought to himself. He took a few steps forward as his friend continued his work and said, "I know it's a bit old fashion, Azazeal, but please bear with me, I really think it may work. Don't you agree?" 

And then in Azazeal's head, "You know this can go on forever. Just give me the boy. If I could control him myself I would but with him as stubborn as the two of you put together and that meddling witch always around, I have decided that you will keep your promise." But there was no reply. Lucifer smiled to himself and thought, "He's going to be tougher than I thought. How fun!"

Azazeal heard him but wasn't actually listening. He was way beyond being brave now and despite the fact that he could not move more than a few millimeters, he was trying to get away from every strike. He gripped tighter and tighter to the post and was so involved in the pain that he had very little other thought.

He could here the whistle of the next lash coming, but when it cracked he felt nothing.

* * *

Malachi's face was a picture of shock and seeing that look on her son's face spurred Cassie to action. Without much thought, she moved with flashing quickness and put her back in between the on coming lash and Azazeal's. The pain was excruciating even through the thick sweater that she wore and she took a sharp intake of breath, but instead of making a sound she cursed herself for not thinking this through. Couldn't she have just stopped it with her mind or something less painful? Well, it was too late now. After a moment to compose herself, she whirled around to face Lucifer with fury in her eyes. The angel with the whip paused waiting for Lucifer to deal with this intrusion. 

He just smiled and said, "Well, well, I didn't expect to see you here." Then glancing at Malachi who had moved closer, "Aren't we just a loving family?"

Azazeal could not move to see who was behind him, but managed to whisper, "Malachi?"

"I am here, father," was the response that he received in his head. It was meant to be comforting to him, but was exactly what he did not want to hear. He then began to cry quietly with sobs that occasionally shook his body. He did not know that Cassie was also there and that she had been the one who had stopped the pain.

Malachi who had been the brave one earlier on was dumb-founded as seeing this father this way. He was uncertain now if he could follow through with his plan.

"You cannot stop this," Lucifer said to Cassie. "I will break him, but since I'm such a nice guy, I'll give him back to you when I'm finished. You may actually like him better after," he said as though this was a good deal.

Cassie still said nothing and glared at him with a calculating look. This quite amused Lucifer, but she was actually just trying to put up a good face while she decided what the hell she should do next.

"Come on, it'll be fun, let's continue and we'll see which of you he gives up first. Or…maybe we can get him to give up both," he suggested with an arched eyebrow. He had moved towards Cassie and had taken her hand to lead her out of the way.

"Besides he deserves it, right, after all he's done to you? So you can't tell me that part of you isn't enjoying this," he added in a tempting tone.

Finally Cassie found her voice to answer him, "Well, not as much as if it were you tied to that post," she said with what she had intended to be sarcasm, but ended up sounding very different.

"Hmmmmm," Lucifer rumbled, "I supposed it could be arranged. Would that excite you?"

Cassie face turned from smug to shocked and Lucifer laughed heartily at her.

"You are too easy, Cassie," he said through bursts of smug laughter as he continued to guide her out of the way of the whip.

At the sound of her name, Azazeal's body tensed. Even though he had just heard her voice it wasn't until he heard her name that he realized she was there too. Lucifer noticed and thought, "That one's been allowed too long of a break and now that he knows she's here, he may become very dangerous."

He had gotten her out of the way and signaled to the angel waiting with the whip, when Malachi called out to Lucifer in a strange language and the whip-welding angel froze. A small, unseen smile touched Azazeal's lips at this and he thought "Clever boy, I did not tell him Lucifer's real name." Cassie also recognized the word but did not know its meaning.

At this Lucifer whirled on Malachi and roared, "How dare you address me with such familiarity?"

"It's your name, isn't it," was Malachi's cool response.


	6. Chapter 6

"My patience grows thin, boy," Lucifer replied still furious. 

"I have a deal for you. I could bring the End of Days for you but I'm going to do you a favor instead."

"Oh really?"

"You don't really believe that the End of Days will be worth it, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. We would rather fight Him then be miserable here."

"That's just a lie you tell yourselves to justify your plan. But you are so foolish, he'll just destroy you all, out of hand, and probably humans too, and just start over."

"And why do you think that?"

"It's what I would do," Malachi responded with a shrug, but something about this made sense to Lucifer.

"What do you suggest?"

"I have the ability to help angels keep their human form and I intend to help my father's followers to integrate in to humanity by finding them a purpose that will make them comfortable. Some of yours I could also help. There are others who I could only help for brief periods and then they would need to return here. The Wheels in particular will be difficult but I think we can manage some sort of vacation for them. Now, you…are another matter," he looked at Lucifer sadly, "I cannot return your glory to you."

Lucifer changed from furious to slightly embarrassed.

"You were light and fire and love and power…and you could not be contained or fulfilled on Earth, you know that."

Cassie, who was still standing next to Lucifer, looked up to his face and saw longing and regret. He glanced down at her and, despite the fact that he was now black and twisted by his anger at his loss, her sympathy touched him.

Malachi continued, "But I will help you as much as I can and I really believe that the End of Days will bring destruction to us all. Besides, if this does not end up working, I can always bring the End of Days later," he added with another shrug.

Lucifer actually laughed at this, "I like the way you think, but I don't get much out of all this, now do I?."

"Lucifer," Cassie interjected, "please give it a chance. Have you even tried anything else but hate and corruption?"

He looked at her sadly and said, "It's the only thing that comes close…"

"Well, it's not the corruption of humanity that we are most concern about at this point so much as it's total destruction," Malachi broke in, "Let's just leave things as they are. You can corrupt to your heart's content, but neither you nor yours will do so with my help."

"Fine!" he said suddenly, looking up from Cassie. He gestured to angel waiting with the whip to leave and after a quick nod to Malachi he left them.

* * *

As Cassie began to untie Azazeal, he kept his head down and did not react. He disbelieved what was happening, because only a little while ago he had resolved himself to spending the rest of his existence in torment. Even as he had been suffering, he had been sure that he would not break, but now watching Cassie's hands untie him, he wasn't so sure. What if he'd begun to think of her, to miss her? 

She finished releasing him and gently pulled him away from the post, but he immediately faltered and needed leaned against her for support. Malachi grabbed onto him to help and with his last strength, Azazeal lowered them down through the mist back home, with Malachi helping far more than he realized.

Once they touched down, Azazeal's feelings rushed in on him as he began to feel the significance of what they had done for him. Because of what he had just gone through, he was in an emotional state that did not allow him to hide anything, even from himself. He was assaulted with thoughts of all the things he had done to Cassie: killing her best friend, tricking her in to having his child, and stealing the child from her. In his arrogance, he had believed that the fact that he had grown to love her should be enough to deserve forgiveness, but he no longer believed that. As Cassie and Malachi guided him to the bed, he stopped, lifted face, still wet with tears to Cassie, and uttered such a heartfelt, "I'm sorry," that Cassie was shaken.

"Whatever for?" she asked. But he was losing consciousness and only managed to whisper, "I'm sorry," again before passing out.

* * *

They got him on the bed and Cassie was starting to take care of his wounds when she suddenly asked Malachi, "What did he mean?" 

Malachi did not respond and continued to work on Azazeal.

"Don't tell me know don't know. What is it that he is so sorry for?"

Malachi looked uncomfortable and avoided her gaze.

"You're angry with me," she said confused.

"Between you and Lucifer, you've both got him so confused," he said with disgust. "He's sorry for everything: Thelma, me, things he did to you, and some things he had nothing to do with. He'd apologize for anything at this point!"

"I…," Cassie started.

"You've rejected him and held him at arms length since the beginning, but now that you know how much he loves you I hope…," Malachi paused, "He will go on like this if you ask him to, without you letting him in, he's made his decision, but I hope you will find it in you to love him back," and Malachi stormed out.

But she did love him, she thought to herself, not understanding.

Malachi wasn't really angry with her so much as frustrated. He had known for a while that their relationship was a strange one but he just shook his head at them and figured that they'd get it right eventually. Now that he had seen his father fall deeper and deeper in love with her, deify Lucifer for her, and ultimately sacrifice himself for them both, he really felt his mother needed to wake up. He knew that she thought she loved him enough, and he wanted to explain to her what she was doing wrong, but like Azazeal he knew that she must find it on her own. How could he explain to her that the feeling of her loving him would fill the empty place that God's love used to fill?

* * *

Azazeal awoke feeling cold and realized that he was lying shirtless on his stomach without any covers. He moved to get up and felt the sting of the strips on his back. He paused but then push out of bed onto his feet. He walked haltingly in to the front room and upon seeing Cassie, immediately walked over to her and kissed her passionately, not letting her go for some time. When he finally let her go, he could not look at her, but saw Malachi out of the corner of his eye, turn his head to him and said, "I am proud of you. I…," and paused. 

"It's okay, dad." After another pause he said, "I'm seeing to your friends. They will be okay." And Azazeal nodded to him but remained silent.

"Not many are dead actually," Malachi added, wanting to fill the silence, "it seems neither side was especially interested in killing so despite the dramatics most were just thrown deeper down into the abyss to claw their way back up again."

Azazeal nodded again this time with a small smile, but he was still not himself.

* * *

Later Cassie asked him, "You knew you couldn't stop Lucifer, didn't you?" 

"I suspected," was his quiet reply.

"But you fought him anyway?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Sometimes you can't give up on something even when it seems hopeless."

She gave him a searching look but he would not elaborate further.

They were both tired so she rolled over to turn out the light when Azazeal said, "What is that?" and touched a small part of the lash mark that was peeking out of the top of the tank top she was wearing.

She winced but said, "It's nothing."

He ignored her and pulled the fabric down to expose more of the mark.

"You…," he gave her a confused look.

She had thought he would be mad when he saw it but he looked sad, so in order to change his mood, she joked, "Well, admittedly it was ill advised but I moved without thinking and this is what I have to show for it. Don't worry it's fine." In fact it hurt like the dickens but she felt in no position to complain.

"I didn't know…" he started. He had not taken the time to consider why exactly the whip had cracked but not hit him, but if he had, the idea that it would have hit her or even Malachi instead would never have crossed his mind.

He became distracted and she could see that he was struggling with something so she waited and eventually asked, "What is it?"

He finally raised his face to her and pleaded, "Tell me I am yours. Tell me I can stay with you. Tell me I can deserve…," but he stopped, for he lost all words. He had been waiting for so long for her to turn to him, and had at times given up hope, but he had no strength left to wait or to hide what he most desired from her.

Cassie felt something tugging at her heart and began to realize what Malachi had been telling her. She loved him but she had not allowed herself to truly fall in love with and accept him. She had been so afraid, first of him and then this situation. Who wouldn't have been careful with their heart given the circumstances? People put themselves half into relationships all the time and it doesn't generally make much difference, but Azazeal was a different creature.

Cassie reached for him and took him in her arms and as she did, her heart opened and she let him in.

* * *

Both Cassie and Azazeal healed well, and eventually, Azazeal would return, more or less, to normal. When all they had to be concerned about was each other, Azazeal became a kind of personal guardian angel. He became extremely devoted to her, but of course, that did not mean that they would not get into some of the most spectacular fights you've ever seen. It was just that it was in his nature to love and protect and he would find a kind of peace in this that he had not found since before the fall. The same would hopefully be true of the others as well, so that they kept themselves out of trouble. Malachi was to see to that, as well as keep his promise to Lucifer.

* * *

It wasn't long before Cassie discovered one of Azazeal's gifts, or weaknesses, depending on how you looked at it. It seemed that he had the uncanny ability to become whatever kind of lover she wanted at that moment. But what made this even more intriguing was that he really didn't appear to know or acknowledge that this was happening. No matter what happened in the bedroom he always acted like it happened all the time.

If she wanted the familiar skillful lover who always made sure she came more than once and in increasingly interesting ways, he was there. Or if she felt like it, she could torture him for hours, and he would only come when she asked him to, either begging for release or resigning himself to his fate, as she saw fit. She could have it slow and soft or quick and dirty or maybe both in one day. She could playfully resist and be lured in or just taken. No matter what she in the mood for, he already was.

What interested her most was that he did anything she wanted naturally without a hint of self-consciousness, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. And, of course there was nothing exceedingly strange about it, except that he was an arrogant fallen angel, who had duped her into having his baby, had inexplicably fallen in love with her, and had started a war with Lucifer, but other than that…


	7. Chapter 7

After a few blissful weeks, Cassie had decided to seek out Ella and Thelma. It felt strange that she hadn't really thought of them for quite a while but she'd been distracted. She felt that she needed to know what Ella's position was now that the End of Days wasn't eminent. It had been several months since she had saved Malachi and seen Ella, but she didn't think that Ella had left.

As is turned out, Ella was still attending school at Mendham, so Cassie waited for her in her room. Upon entering and seeing Cassie, Ella just chuckled.

"Somehow I knew you'd come."

"Really?" Cassie said a bit snotty. "Let's get straight to the point, are you still going to try to kill my son?"

Ella smiled with fake sweetness, "Oh, after our last meeting, I was contacted by my handlers and they called me off," she said. "You wouldn't happen to know why would you?" She was annoyed.

"That explains why I haven't see you. They didn't tell you?"

"They don't feel the need to keep me informed."

Cassie smiled to herself, "Azazeal betrayed Lucifer and refused to give Malachi to him, there was a battle, but ultimately, Malachi convinced Lucifer that if the End of Days were to come, God would just destroy us all, so he should let Malachi help him find some peace. That was a mouthful."

Ella stared at her in disbelief, "You're serious?"

"Yup!"

"After all I've been through…Ahh!"

"It's good news isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, but…well, I've been told to stay here so this is not over."

"I suspect because Malachi could always change his mind," Cassie said.

"Great!" Ella said sarcastically.

"What are you going to do now?"

Ella slumped down in a chair, "Wait, I suppose."

"I think you should meet Malachi. He's not what you think, neither are the fallen angels. He's helping them, you could help too."

"Help?" Ella said skeptically.

"Well it would give you something to do. Just a thought."

Cassie rose to leave and then turned back.

"Where's Thelma?"

"Oh, she's around. I'm sure she'll pop out when you least expect it. You know, she was really hurt when you left."

"I know."

* * *

Malachi had gotten quite a system going to find "situations" for the fallen. Some Dominions and Principalities, who really enjoyed organizing the operation and searching for what was needed, assisted him. He also had an endless supply of resources because, as it turned out Azazeal, had amassed quite of bit of money through various nefarious methods and developed many key relationships over the years. Cassie had been shocked at first, but obviously Azazeal wouldn't have a real job. Still, she liked to joke that it was kind of like being in "The Godfather" only weirder. He, of course, flatly refused to abandon any of it. 

"Cassie, there are people to be fooled and there always has been."

"But…"

"Besides I'm good at it, people like me," he smiled arrogantly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but no killing," she tried to say seriously.

"But that's the best part," he sounded disappointed but then smiled again when Cassie raised an eyebrow.

At least it kept him occupied. He had Ramiel and Araqiel as his lieutenants and they seemed to have enough to do to keep them amused while she worked with Malachi

* * *

As it turned out, she was excellent at finding the perfect thing for each angel while Malachi dealt with the logistics. They were each more than happy to try to explain, in confusing detail, what exactly it was that they did. It never made much sense but she would eventually manage to boil it down to key elements and come up with a plan. Strangely fewer of them that she expected needed human love in the way that Azazeal appeared to. Most were happy with receiving simple gratitude after they had given something. Oh, there were those, Ramiel the shining example of them, who were lustful, but those desires were separate from what they loved to do. 

"Damiel," Cassie exclaimed, "how beautiful!"

He had brought her the most stunning little bunch of flowers that she'd ever scene. The colors were so striking and the perfect shades that pleased her the most.

"I had some spare time and I realized that you haven't seen my work so I thought I would drop by."

"I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to visit you but Araqiel says that you've got more work than you can handle." He beamed, obviously proud of himself.

Damiel had had something to do with the Earth and was a particular lover of the beauty of growing things, so they had helped him open a flower shop. What was so adorable about him and made him so successful, was that he could only create the most perfect arrangement for the intended purpose. People would order something and he could give them a totally different and they would love it. He was probably responsible for more people getting engaged, forgiven, comforted, and made happy than anyone else she new. Of course, he always spent more time on each order than was necessary and never much concerned himself with making money, but he was happy. All they had left to do was find him a nice girl.

Cassie went to get a vase to put the flowers in while Damiel chatted with Malachi. When she went to the kitchen, she was startled to find Thelma with her head deep in the refrigerator.

"Thelma!"

"Do angels actually eat pasta?" was her reply.

"Thelma I've missed you. Please say you've forgiven me."

Thelma looked around the refrigerator door at her.

"You're not getting off that easily. You'll have to beg me and there may need to be dream sex involved," she smiled.

Cassie smiled back.

"You should come out and meet Malachi and the others," Cassie encouraged.

"Oh, I'm not ready for that."

"Why ever not?"

"I've gotten quite used to not being seen, thank you very much, and they're kind of creepy."

"Oh, they are not. Don't you want to be able to talk to more than just me and Ella."

"Yes," she sulked but refused to come out.

Cassie made her promise not to make herself scarce and they parted.

When Cassie returned with the vase, Haniel had come, laughing as usual. Her name meant "Joy of God" and she was always a joy to be around. She had found her own way in the world quite by accident. She had been wandering the streets when she came across and man about the throw himself off a bridge over some lost love. She tapped on his shoulder, smiled at him, and that was that. She's now a counselor for troubled people and he never left her.

Haniel beamed when she saw Cassie.

"I must tell you, oh isn't today gorgeous?"

"Yes, it is. What must you tell me?" Cassie said redirecting her attention.

"Lumiel sent me to tell you…"

"Stop doing what Lumiel says, he…"

"But he's so busy, anyway, he wants to know if there's any laws you think Azazeal would want changed or you too I suppose."

"You can't be serious."

"Why not?" she asked innocently.

"You can't just…" Lumiel was a guide to those who ruled so he had worked his way into an influential position with Parliament. Obviously he had no problem exercising that influence in whatever way he chose.

"You just let me talk to him, tell him to see me."

"But Cassie he's awfully occupied with his work."

"Haniel, dear, he needs see us himself."

"I'll tell him," Haniel smiled brightly. She was easy to convince.

And this is what Cassie's life had become. It was like having hundreds of children to keep track of, but she loved them all. They were so genuine and helpful, even the ones that were devious, like Azazeal, simply enjoyed intrigue and having intricate missions to complete. The challenges were the ones who could not stay. Those would require more thought.

* * *

A few weeks later, after being a way for a few days, Azazeal came home and, not being able to keep himself away from Cassie, somewhat abruptly ordered everyone out. She teased him for being so impulsive but in the old Azazeal style, he arrogantly seduced her. 

As they moved together and the pleasure grew, Azazeal began to intone words in a foreign tongue as he held fast to her, finally crying out a single word that seemed to encompass all the rest, as his body relaxed and he fell back on the bed, dead to the world. He had done this a couple of times before, but he never spoke of it, so she never asked. One of these days she would, she thought, because when he spoke like that it felt like she was wrapped in the soft, trembling wings that she knew he no longer had.

She carefully slipped out of bed, put her robe on and walked into the other room. She was suddenly startled by the figure of a man out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Lucifer smiling at her.

"Well, you certainly have him wrapped around your little finger don't you?"

"What? What are you doing here?"

"Just visiting." He moved closer. "You don't know what he says to you, do you, and you haven't asked? But you feel it don't you?"

"What? Stop playing, why are you here?" She said as she went to go fuss with some papers on the table.

"It's angelic, of course," Cassie now looked at him, interested, as he paused for effect, "It cannot really be translated exactly, but he professes his love for you in very expressive terms, quite blasphemous actually, but I won't tell," he said with a wicked grin. "And he calls you," Lucifer tiled his head up, half closed his eyes, and said reverently, "Everything."

Cassie gave him a searching look, but she knew he was telling the truth.

"It's almost like being called a god, but not exactly because there are much more specific terms for that," he said as if he were giving a lecture on the angelic language, but caught the worried look on her face and added, "Don't be afraid. I could think far more profound phrases that might actually cause quite a stir," he grinned mysteriously, "but he can't help it, poor boy and might not know he's speaking out loud. But when you take an angel to that place…," and he closed his eyes and shuddered almost imperceptibly, "That maybe why he doesn't tell you. You'd have to feel it."

She was even more confused than before and Lucifer became irritated with her as if she were a thickheaded student.

"Are you paying attention? Obviously not! You echo the divine experience, your love for him, his love for you, and when you create enough physical pleasure, you send him into adoration and ecstasy, it's really quite cute."

"Cute?"

"Oo, I should teach you something to say, that'll really be fun."

"Fun? Lucifer, why are you here?"

She said his name as mother speaks to an errant child.

"I want your help."

"Malachi is helping you."

"Yes, he is, but I think you could help me more."


	8. Chapter 8

In truth, Azazeal knew exactly what he was saying in those moments and took a kind of smug satisfaction in how inappropriate the words were. Besides it felt good and he was never one to deny himself pleasure. The fact that he felt this way did not cheapen the fact that sometimes when they were joined together and always in those moments, he worshipped her. For it had been having so much power without being tempered by surrender that had twisted him.

* * *

"_Casarmi_," Lumiel said, "you wanted to see me." He was a tall, thin man of a youngish but nondescript age. He wore a very fine suite and carried an official looking brief case. 

"Call me Cassie," she said and he nodded, but she knew he would not. Azazeal had told her before that it was a title of rank, with a shrug that had said, "Why wouldn't he call you that?"

"Come sit with me," and she lead him to one of the sets of comfortable chairs that now occupied the front of the church. He waited for her to sit and then settled himself. He was a stickler for a protocol the Cassie never quite understood which entailed much more that how to refer to her.

"I am now in a position where I can make some changes."

"Yes, Haniel told me but you can't just use your influence to make changes just for yourself or us."

"Why not?" He said reasonably. Usually he was the most logical being she'd ever met but this did not make sense to her.

"Azazeal tell him," she raised her voice so he could hear her from the couch were he was reading the newspaper.

"Oh, I think you'll do a fine job telling him yourself," he said without looking up.

She turned back to Lumiel, "What if I wanted to make stealing legal?"

"Do not be ridiculous," he laughed, "I forget, you take things so literally. The silly human rules that don't mean anything are those that I refer to."

"Oh, well regardless, you can just change things that many people agreed upon."

"Some things are just incorrect."

She smiled at him, "Thank you for explaining to me, but I think everything's fine the way it is."

"Azazeal?" he asked. An annoyed look crossed Cassie's face.

"Ah, I don't want to get into trouble with, _Casarmi,_ my friend," he looked up from his paper and with a grin, knowing that calling her by that name would annoy her further. She couldn't tell if he was not interested or if he would talk to Lumiel later but it didn't much matter. Azazeal did what he pleased.

* * *

When Ella finally decided to take Cassie up on her offer, the only person she found in the church was Malachi. 

"Can I help you?" Malachi asked lifting his head and wondering why this person was here.

"Is Cassie here?" she asked without taking much notice of him.

"No, she's not. Do you need something?" he asked, becoming a little irritated.

"Tell her that Ella was here," and she turned to go.

"You're Ella?," he said with amused surprise, "You don't look so dangerous!"

Turning slowly and looking at him with recognition, she said, "And you must be Malachi."

He just grinned at her.

"You're not going to try to kill me right now, are you, 'cause I'm very busy, and I just don't have time for that kind of distraction."

Even though she had no intention of trying to kill him and she as pretty sure he knew that, she said, "Well, we could schedule a time later this week, would that work for you?"

"I'll have to check my calendar and get back to you, honey."

Ella sauntered over to him, "You just let me know when's a good time for you."

As they stared each other down, Cassie walked in from some errands, "Quit it, both of you," she said. But they didn't stop.

"Ella, come help me with these and we'll talk, huh?" Cassie said as she walked by them with her bags.

* * *

"Cassie, he certainly takes after his father." 

"Yes, he does, but really Ella, he's not evil."

"I never said he was evil, but that he would bring it"

"Well, he hasn't done that either. Stick around today and see what we're doing here."

"Oh, alright," Ella responded.

What Cassie didn't know was that Raphael was the true reason Ella was here and that their new lives were by no means safe.

* * *

"Are you paying any attention at all?" Azazeal yelled, and upon turning and seeing that they weren't, sent an unlit candle flying across the room in their general direction. At this, both burst into laughter simultaneously. "What is with those two?" he thought to himself. 

He'd been trying to teach Cassie and Malachi how to create a shield block physical and spiritual threats, but unfortunately for him, this reminded Cassie of the "Cosmic Condom" which was how Thelma had referred to the hexagram Ella had drawn for Cassie against Azazeal. Cassie had been whispering this to Malachi, who now knew Thelma and her personality, and both found this much more funny than was necessary.

"Fine," Azazeal added after they continued their laughter, "you can both figure it out for yourselves," he said as he walked out. He had not heard their conversation, but would not have been amused if he had.

"Azazeal!" Cassie called after him but he did not stop. He'd be fine, he just worried about them.

"Well, now that were alone," Cassie started, "I wanted to ask you what you thought about going to Mendham and be around normal kids."

"I'm not a kid."

"No, but I think it would be good for you to be around normal people for a change."

"But…"

"We could figure something out with the angels. Just think about it. I'll talk to your father."

"Great," he said with a large amount of sarcasm.

* * *

"Cassie, do you always have to do exactly what you shouldn't do?" Thelma asked, shaking her head. 

"Um, I guess so," she responded as she continued to get ready to meet Lucifer.

"I haven't even met him and he scares the crap out of me."

"He's not as scary as you might think."

"Okay, but after what he did to Azazael, whose strangely become the good guy, I can't believe that you would see him."

"He's not going to leave me alone and I think those two should be kept apart right now."

"Let them deal with that. Cassie he's dangerous. Didn't you learn anything from Azazeal manipulating you?"

"Guess not," she smiled, grabbed her bag, "Bye."

* * *

Cassie had insisted on meeting him in a public place, like that would help, and settled on the park they used to sit it with Malachi when he as a baby. He was already sitting on their bench when she arrived, so she sat down next to him. 

"Good morning," he said as pleasant as ever.

"So, what is it that I could possibly do for you?"

"What no pleasantries? How's everything?"

"Just fine. Could you just tell me what you want?"

He chucked, "Don't be in such a hurry."

She sat back and turned her attention to the children playing near them.

"Don't be afraid either. You can call him, or any of them, to you in an instant."

She glanced at him.

"But you don't know how," he realized, "You really should make more of an effort," he scolded.

She smiled, remembering how Azazeal had tried to teach her many things but she would always end up learning them more or less on her own once she was told that something was possible.

"Have you noticed how different he and I are from the rest?" he said, being rather dismissive of the other angels.

"No, not particularly."

"Yes, you have, now he and I are the leaders, of course, and the are most similar. This is not an accident. We were the closest Him of those that fell. He is different from me in that he is Cherubim while I am Seraphim and he was given more humanity because he was sent to watch, but we are still very similar. I, obviously, am more powerful," he said haughtily.

Cassie shook once with a giggle and then stifled it with a smile. He of course saw this but was amused by her reaction.

"Malachi is right that I need to exert power and control to a great degree, but the finer points of what I need, I think you will understand better."

"The finer points?"

"You really just refuse to get this don't you?" he shook his head but was, again, more amused than irritated.

After a pause, he started to speak and then stopped, laughing at himself. He looked at her with gentle eyes and said, "I thought I could but I can't," and he reached out to touch her, but she leaped up. As she walked off he called to her, "You should really ask him what he says to you."

As she left, he thought, "How she loves him! That is encouraging!"

* * *

Before Cassie had left the park, Araqiel was reporting to Azazeal. 

"LUCIFER!" he yelled, and for the first time in a long time, Araqiel was terrified of Azazeal.

"I could not get close enough to hear what was said, but they only sat and talked until she jumped up and left."

Fury flamed in Azazeal's eyes and before Araqiel could add anything further, he was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Azazeal conveniently appeared directly behind Lucifer in his home in the abyss, if you could call it that.

"Back for more are you? I always thought there was a bit of sadomasochist in you," Lucifer said slowly turning. But before he was completely facing him, Azazeal flew at him and pinned him to the wall with one hand tightly around his throat.

"You will stay away from her," he said carefully enunciating each word.

"Oh, but she came to me." And the grip around his throat grew tighter.

Smiling he added, "I'm truly flattered by your jealousy," though it was getting difficult to speak.

"She's mine!" Azazeal's anger was now tinged with other emotions, which was easily apparent to Lucifer.

"Of course, she is, don't be silly," and with greater effort than he expected to need he pushed Azazeal off of him.

"I need to ask you a favor."

Azazeal glared at him.

"What makes you think I would do anything but hurt you?

* * *

Cassie returned home shortly after Azazeal had left in a rage and she found Araqiel looking a little worried. 

"Where's Azazeal?"

"He left."

"Where'd he go?"

"He didn't say, _Casarmi._"

"Not you too," she started but she could tell this wasn't the time, "What's wrong?"

"He was angry when he left. You shouldn't see Lucifer."

Surprised she blurted out, "How would any of you know who I see?"

"Sometimes I am with you," he said matter-of-factly.

"You followed me?" Her anger was now rising but she was nothing compared to Azazeal.

"Yes, today I was with you." He said in that straightforward way let her know that he could not possibly understand why she would be angry.

"I can't believe he has you follow me," she said redirecting her anger.

"I think you misunderstand," he said, which meant a lot coming from simple Araqiel, "I go with you." He said this as if the distinction was key.

"I'm sorry I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand him sometimes."

In fact, to Araqiel, spending a day with a human was one of the most natural things in existence. Azazeal hadn't really thought of it much differently when he sent Araqiel with her, which actually added to his shock at learning what she had been doing with her time.

* * *

Later that evening the mood in the church was such that everyone found reasons to leave. Despite this, neither of them mentioned the day's events. It wasn't until a few days later that Cassie said, "You had me followed." 

"Yes."

"And you know I met with Lucifer."

"Yes."

"And you're not going to kill me?"

"No."

"What did you do?"

But he only grinned evilly.

* * *

Ella and Malachi were fighting over the best way to infiltrate a drug smuggling operation in South America for some angels who wanted a bit of a fight. 

"Why don't they just go in guns blazing?" Ella said.

"Because everyone knows that you have to go undercover to smoke out the head of the drug cartel, haven't you seen…?

"You watch too many movies."

"You've spent too much time killing people."

At this Ella was a little hurt.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Well, you are not wrong."

"Look let's ask them what they think tomorrow. Now, could you help me with the math assignment?" To which she rolled her eyes.

They were both in school at Mendham now, much to their dismay, but it did give them a break from supernatural concerns. They, of course, had become friends of sorts because of their strange backgrounds.

To Cassie, they appeared like brother and sister with as much as they fought. It did concern her though that many of the angels did not appear to accept her in the way that they had accepted Thelma.

* * *

"So you're afraid that your boyfriend may have done something very bad to the Lord of Evil and you want to know what you should do about it? Well, you've come to the right place," Thelma said. 

Cassie gave her a look.

"Well, it told you not to go."

"Not helping."

"I say good for him."

"I guess I don't need to worry about it but I just don't know what Azazael's thinking right now and that make me uneasy."

"Ask him."

"Right, like he's going to tell me."

* * *

Several days later, towards the end of a particularly hectic day with lots of angels coming and going, Cassie decided to try to talk to Azazeal. He'd been in a surprisingly good mood all day so now seemed to be as good a time as any. 

"It is simple, you will not see him again," Azazeal told her. Which despite actually being fairly reasonable made her angry.

"You do not get to tell me who I can see."

To this he only shrugged and she stormed off.

Later, more to annoy him than for any other reason, she said to him, "You know sometimes when we make love you speak in a foreign language."

"Yes, I know," he said easily, but with a hint of surprise as if he wasn't expecting her to ask him about it now.

"What do you say?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but then sort of stopped to think to himself. Finally, he concluded, "It cannot be translated." And she rolled her eyes, because she'd heard this before, but he did not see her.

* * *

When they went to bed, she was surprised when he moved close to her and began kissing her neck. It had been longer than usual because of their little tiff but she wasn't really expecting this. She responded whole-heartedly mainly to let him know that she was still his. 

In between deep kisses he whispered in her ear, "I say that I love you," and it took her a moment to catch on.

"But you say more than that," she responded huskily.

"Yes," he whispered.

"What else?" she asked playfully now.

"You have to listen more carefully," he said.

* * *

And when his eyes closed and he started speaking, her eyes glazed over and her body froze with a strange sense of pleasure that she had never felt before. She was enveloped in warmth and light. She began to realize that while she as hearing the angelic words she was feeling their meaning and her heart began to swell. She reached out to put her hands on Azazeal and as she did the force of the meaning intensified. She could feel him helpless and trembling, sending wave after wave of love and submission, offering himself to her over and over again. Her instinct was to accept him and when she did she was filled with ecstasy and contentment, while a moan tore from his lips and he sank deeper, offering more. This she could not contain and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Upon waking and remembering the feeling of last night, she shuddered to herself, but Azazael was still asleep. Her first thought was why she had been able to understand him this time, but quicker than she normally would have she remembered that Fariel had visited them yesterday and he had put his hand on her shoulder. Typically, the angels refrained from touching and it seemed unnecessary to many of them except for specific purposes. Fariel had a special talent for languages above that of most angels, so she started to think that he must have given her this ability. 

She turned to Azazeal and his eyes were now open.

"What happened last night?"

"I think you know," was all he said.

And she found that she did understand and what Lucifer had said to her made sense. They were programmed with this response but obviously only He was meant to trigger it. The rest of them must have it too, but since they had existed in lower circles it did not effect them to the same extent and they did not seek it. She also knew that it was only a shadow of what existed in Heaven.

"Why did you show me?"

"You needed to understand so that you can seek out a match for Lucifer."

"What?"

He only smiled. He did not say that he showed her for himself, he could not. He found, as Lucifer had, that he could not speak of it in relation to himself. It could only exist in those moments when he abandoned himself to it.

"Where is he?"

"Oh, he's indisposed, but he'll be back."

* * *

When Lucifer had told him what he wanted the rage in Azazeal rose again. He flew at him again, but this time with a flash of a knife, he slit his throat. 

"How dare you!" He hissed. He could not stand that Lucifer had seen into their lives that way.

Lucifer tried to speak, but could not, and with a pleased grin, Azazael plunged the knife into his stomach and twisted. He dragged him to the edge of a whole in the abyss. Lucifer was smiling to himself now but Azazeal could see that the pain in Lucifer's face was from much more that his blade. He pulled him up to face him and just before hurling him down he said, "You will never see her again." To which Lucifer responded, knowing that what Azazeal had said was a condition in their new agreement, rather than a pronouncement that he was about to die, "You showed me it was possible, Azazeal." And Azazael threw him down in to the nothingness.

Both had known that this was merely a ritual. They could not destroy each other. If they could have, they would have tried it already.


	10. Chapter 10

"Maybe if you close your eyes," Thelma suggested as she munched on something annoyingly crunchy.

"Thanks, I could have thought of that myself."

Azazeal had told her that if she chose to help Lucifer she needed to call Gethel and she would be able to help her find a mate for Lucifer. When Cassie suggested that he call Gethel for her, he smiled and shook his head.

"But I don't know how," she had said with a small whine in her voice.

"You'll have to figure it out then won't you," and he started to leave.

"But…"

"I guess you should have paid more attention when I tried to teach you these things," his voice trailing off as he left.

Now, she was "practicing" by trying to call every angel she knew one by one, but it just wasn't working.

"Maybe you have to…"

But Cassie turned and glared at her. That must have been the eighth "maybe" that she had suggested and some of them had been down right ridiculous.

"Sorry," and Thelma went back to her munching.

"Maybe it needs to be quiet," Cassie suggested grabbing the bag from Thelma.

"Alright! Why don't you have one of the others teach you?" Thelma said with that, "why didn't you start there?" tone.

Cassie stubbornly responded, "I want to get it myself."

"Right, because calling angels is something that people figure out for themselves everyday."

Cassie just rolled her eyes.

Then turning back to concentrating she ran through a few more names. She really didn't know what was supposed to happen but she'd been trying this long enough now that she expected that if they had heard her they would have come by now. She was just about to start try another few, when Azazeal walked in and gave her a "Yes, what do you want?" look. She looked a little confused until she realized that he had been one of the last names she had called.

"It worked!" she exclaimed and Thelma added, "Now there's a start!"

Azazeal laughed and shook his head.

"Yes, you call me all the time, but this time you ment it."

"But…you mean you ignore me? I could be in danger and you may not come."

He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'll send you Ramiel. He'll teach you."

* * *

"Ella." 

"Hmm?" She responded as she sat on the floor of his room reading a textbook of some .

"Why is it that the angels don't trust you?" Malachi asked flat out.

"Of course they trust me," she responded sweetly.

"No they don't."

Then becoming more serious, "Look, Malachi, you could still bring about the End of Days anytime. Not to mention that you are working with Lucifer, who could manipulate you into anything. I can't just let you go unwatched."

"Wow, and I thought you were really starting to like me," he said smartly.

"I have a job to do."

"Of course you do," he said patronizing her, "but really Ella, I though you knew me better than that."

She shrugged.

"Lucifer's not much of a threat to me anyway now that he knows I know his real name," and his eyes twinkled wickedly.

"Are you serious?"

"I would never lie about something like that. It certainly is a good way to get his attention, but other than the threat that I could use it to banish him or work some other mischief on him, it really just a hard to pronounce word."

"You would see it like that wouldn't you. You have the power to send him away for good, why don't you use it?"

"Because he's quite a fun guy actually."

* * *

"Now pay attention," Ramiel started in his professor-like tone as he paced in front of them, "there are three main types of calls: informal, imperative, and immediate." 

"Shouldn't you be writing this down?" Thelma whispered to Cassie, but received only a look from Cassie.

"Azazael says that you unconsciously call him, but it's weak because you don't know you're doing it. You need to focus more on the individual not just the name…"

And by the end of the lesson, she was apologizing to very gracious angels for calling them away from whatever they had been doing. Ramiel had worked with her on the informal himself but had insisted that she practice the imperative and immediate on those who weren't expecting it.

Apparently, informal was kind of like saying "Hey come see me when you get a chance," imperative was "I need you right away but finish what you were doing," and immediate was "AAAHHHH!" Well, at least, that's how Thelma categorized them.

"Very good, _Casarmi,_ if that's all, I'll be going," Ramiel said and as he did Cassie felt a strong sense of obligation from him.

Her ability to understand angelic was fading daily but a few angels had called her that and she got a different meaning from them each time. Haniel, predictably, sent joy, Damiel sent a sense of peace, Lumiel sent power, and now Ramiel sent something completely different.

"Ramiel, when you call me that," she said because she could not pronounce it, "what does it mean? I hear the words 'under whom' and I feel…obligation."

He seemed reluctant to answer but said, "It is what you are called and it has many, many meanings."

"Which are?"

"You are equated with Azazael so it is a reference to his rank, but it will also have a specific meaning to each angel who calls you by that name."

"And from you?"

"I suppose 'under whom I serve' would be the best translation," and he turned to go.

"One more thing," Cassie started, and he turned, "how to I call an angel who I don't know?"

"Which angel?"

"Gethel"

At this his eyes widened a bit, "She a keeper of secrets, use that to focus your call," and he left.

* * *

Lucifer alternately grumbled and laughed to himself as he slowed climbed back up towards the edge of the abyss. He should have anticipated that that silly boy would assume that he wanted Cassie. He could have phased it better, he supposed. In the end, he was sure that Azazael finally caught his meaning that Cassie would be a perfect person to seek out a mate for him. He shook his head to himself as he thought that originally he had seen her only as a nuisance. Then she was upgraded to interesting, but had only fancied himself in love with her for a few days before he had realized that what he loved was the idea of her. Oh, well, hopefully she could find what he was looking for.

* * *

When Cassie called Gethel nothing happened, but a few days later when she was alone for the first time in a while, she turned to find a beautiful woman standing behind her, seeming to float just over the ground.

"Who are you?"

"I am Gethel who has dominion over hidden things," the being responded but the movement of her lips did not correspond to the words that Cassie heard.

"You're not…"

"No, my child, I am not fallen. What is it that you seek?"

When Cassie told her that she wanted to find a match for Lucifer, Gethel began to laugh in a way that was more human that Cassie had expected.

"Always lazy, the poor Morning Star!"

"Can you help?"

"Of course, but I am set to keep secrets rather than reveal them, so I will not name her to you. Tell Lucifer that there is a women now on this earth that would suit him and it is fitting that he must seek her in the City of Angels. She is quick to laughter and to anger, but not to love. If he wins her, she will be more than he hoped for."

"Great!" Cassie exclaimed.

Gethel smiled, "Oh, but she will refuse him for her heart hurts and is not easy. She waits for someone who can convince her that he does love, so that she can let her anger go. But Lucifer is too proud and she will see right through him. For his sake, I hope he does find the path to her heart but it will not be easy."

Cassie gave information to Malachi who passed most of it on to Lucifer when he finally popped in one evening, when Cassie and Azazeal were conveniently away.

"You do not look good, my friend." Malachi said.

"Yes, I realize that!" he snapped, "What information do you have for me?"

Malachi told him to look for her in the City of Angels and about her being quick to laughter and anger, but not to love. And he only hinted at how good of a match she would be, to which Lucifer replied, "That Gethel is always so cryptic, why can't she just speak plainly," and he left.

* * *

Cassie had begun to notice that Azazeal had begun to hover around her in a very strange way. She would think that he had left on some business or other, but then he'd be back talking to one or other of the angels, as if pretending to be occupied. She had also begun to notice that her closest angel friends had begun to drop rather frequently but with no particular explanation as to why. It was on Haniel's seventh visit in five days that Cassie finally lost it. She was just about to ask her what was going on when she noticed Azazeal was back, again, and she decided to go right to the source. 

"You're back again."

"Yes, I live here."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" He said in a way that unfortunately for him let her know that there definitely was something going.

"I don't have the patience for this, please. You don't have to keep such a close eye on me. Lucifer's gone off on his little quest and he was nothing to worry about anyway. Just…"

"I know," he said, "Sit down." She did and he sat next to her. And then he told her with delight in his eyes, but also a little worry, "You're pregnant."

"Pregnant! I'm pregnant? How am I pregnant?"

"Well, I know for a fact that you know exactly how it works."

She gave him a look but then returned to her shocked expression.

"But you said…," she started and he was looking a little guilty now, "you said that wouldn't happen."

He had told her that, as evidenced by the fact that he hadn't gotten any women that he slept with over the centuries pregnant except those he intended to, that he could actually choose when to do so.

"I know," he said now looking rather sheepish, "but when you…" and here he stopped and gave her such a loving look it she reached out to touch his face, "I could not control it."

And she knew he referred to that night not so long ago when she had heard and felt his love for her in the way only an angel could express it and she had accepted it. At the time she had felt the effect that her acceptance had had on him, but she had not imagined that it would result in this.

But she could not help but be happy and her face turned into a bright smile and she threw herself in his arms.

"It's a girl," he said.

"Really!" And the two beamed at each other with excitement.

* * *

_NOTE: __"Casarmi" really does, apparently mean 'under whom' in Enochian, the language of the angels as given to John Dee. I looked it up!_


	11. Chapter 11

Azazeal became adorably annoying, fiercely protective, and exceedingly gentle over the course of the next few weeks. He seemed apparently physically incapable of being away from her for more than a few hours, much to Cassie's amusement. She quickly decided that there was no reason to discourage him, despite the fact he was being so silly, and so would generally go over to him to get a few kisses before going back to what ever she had been doing. She was happy for him because he had really missed this with Malachi, and so had she in a way, and looking back on his behavior the few times she had seen him while pregnant, he actually wasn't much different except that she had pushed him away then.

He had set Ardousius to look after her and act as midwife of sorts for she had somehow been involved in childbirth. She went with her to her regular doctor's visits and made sure she ate and rested, which Cassie did forget to do sometimes when she got busy. Ardousius told her that this pregnancy would progress similarly to the first and would be completed in about a third of the time of a normal human pregnancy, but assured her that there was nothing to worry about. Ardousius had a wealth of knowledge on this subject which comforted Cassie since this would be the first time she actually had a baby.

There had also developed a kind of unspoken set of "office hours" at their church. Since they had moved their bedrooms back into the depths of the church the front had become the bustling meeting place for the angels and you could expect to find at least one or two of them there 24 hours a day. Now no one was there after 10pm and no one dared enter before 9am. She could only assume this was due to her "condition."

* * *

"Ramiel," Azazeal roared from their bedroom as he finished putting himself together. 

Cassie smiled to herself and shook her head at him. As her pregnancy had progressed and she had grown bigger, he had grown snappy at everyone but her. No matter how many times Ardousius and Cassie told him that it would be okay and no matter how much he desired her, he would not allow himself to make love to her and it was beginning to effect his mood. Despite how much wicked pleasure as it would have given her to tempt him, she mercifully let him be.

Tonight, the "boys" had insisted on taking him out on the town and hopefully this would ease some of his tension. They were all very proud of how human this type of activity was but Azazeal really didn't want to leave her so close to her time. She had had to practically order him to go, so she and Ardousius could enjoy a quiet night to themselves.

Predictably and yet unknowingly, the boys took Azazeal to the same club where he had seduced Cassie, where they proceeded to get him and themselves intoxicated in almost everyway possible. There was much laughter and mischief as they all relaxed. There were also, of course, many of Azazeal's "old friends" at the club who he deftly handed off to his angelic brothers one by one.

In the early morning, he awoke to find himself and his friends strewn around the club on couches, chairs, and the floor. For a moment he fondly remembered the debauchery of last night but quickly realized that he'd left Cassie alone all night. He flew home in a rush, only to find her sleeping peacefully, and with a smile he curled up next to her and fell back to sleep.

* * *

As crazy as it may sound, Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, was in Los Angeles, California…dating. Well, sort of. Really his activities mostly consisted of haunting clubs and the streets of LA and occasionally picking up a girl for sex. He wasn't really taking this seriously yet because the new town and supply of amusement had distracted him from his original intent. 

One evening was he was sitting at the bar in one of his favorite clubs, two girls entered who he was familiar with: a striking redhead and a pretty sun-kissed blond. The redhead was a diehard regular while her friend accompanied her only occasionally. It amused him to watch them because as the redhead held court and toyed with all of the men in the place, the blond allowed her attention-seeking friend to act as a filter in order to find the best of them. The redhead lured them in with the promise of sex and the blond would take a closer look to see if she found anything worthwhile.

Despite the fact that she was only pretty and not beautiful, the blond simultaneously gave off the impression that she was open and available but that she was just slightly too good for anyone in the place. She would rarely talk or dance with anyone she didn't appear to know already and almost never allowed anyone to buy her a drink. She also had this curious way of protecting her friend from unwanted suitors by sort of acting towards them in a manner that a man might who was protecting his sister. But he had to admit it was effective and she obviously must have proved herself previously because many of the men only needed a look from her to back off.

Although, this might give you the impression that she was haughty, she was not. This was simply her way of dealing with this game that they were all playing. She was fun, well liked, and though she didn't know it, secretly the desire of many of the men there, because while her friend offered sex, she unknowingly exuded the possibility of seduction. And while her friend traded favors for drinks and attention, she had this way of, sometimes…just sometimes, getting one of them to do a favor for her simply to make her happy.

She walked over and pressed up to the bar next to him to get the bartender's attention. She ordered a Whiskey Sour and a Vodka Gimlet.

Lucifer turned to her and smoothly said, "Let me get those for you."

She turned to him, considering, and then responded, "If you can guess which drink is for me, maybe."

"The Whiskey, you're not as pretentious as your friend."

"Interesting," she smiled, "Pay the man," she said and walked back to her friend.

As Lucifer finished his drink and the last of his cigarette, he casually decided that he wanted her this evening, if only to have what so many these men wanted. He walked over to where they where sitting and she looked up to greet him, but her friend noticed him too and said, "Hello there," before she could speak.

"Do you want to join us?" Her friend asked.

"Yes, I believe I do."

He purposely picked a spot next to his conquest but the red-haired friend, Tiffany was her name, immediately began the questioning. The name he used tonight was Luke and the rest he invented without much consideration as she made conversation. He glanced at the blond, Elizabeth, who had originally been listening, but to his dismay, he'd lost her attention. As the music changed to a new song, her face lit up and after finishing her drink, she leapt up to grab one of the guys to dance. He should have known better than to pay too much attention to her friend, because he had noticed that, unlike most women who were made jealous by a man noticing her friend, she just discarded them.

He watched her as she danced and enjoyed the way she moved as if it were the music, and not herself, that determined each movement. Tiffany was still chattering, but a little mental suggestion directed to one of her nearby suitors got her mercifully pulled away and he barely acknowledged her leaving. When the song was finished, Elizabeth came back to their table where 'Luke' had replaced only her drink with a fresh one and lit a new cigarette. She immediately noticed the drink and glanced at him with a smile. She settled herself back in to her spot next to him and said, "Luke, right?"

* * *

At her invitation, he followed her home in "his car" and she took him to a nice little house south of the city. She let him in and told him to make himself at home while she changed and he wandered around the small four-bedroom house looking at her things. The living room and dining room were decorated with a mix of antique wood furniture and newer artistic furniture, while the walls featured French impressionist paintings next to Asian art and kimonos. The wall of hallway that lead to the four rooms, prominently displayed pictures of a man and a woman who he assumed were her grandparents which were surrounded by rosaries, religious medals, old scapulars, and crosses with _milagros_ hammered into them. In the spare bedroom, at the back of the house, he found her book shelves filled with all types of fiction and non-fiction, in addition to bibles and other religious text right next to books on witchcraft, the Kabbala, and magic. He smiled to himself and her choice in reading material. As he went back down the hallway towards the front of the house, he stopped by the room she had set aside for her office and he glanced out the windows which looked out on the front lawn. As he turned to make his way back to the living room, her guardian angel made him presence known to Lucifer but indicated only that he would not let him hurt the girl, to which Lucifer laughed out loud, and responded that he had no intention of doing so. This was definitely a first. He had never had anyone's guardian angel let out so much as a peep when he was around, but there was a first time for everything. 

He may his way to the living room and was soon met by Elizabeth, who was now dressed in a light silk robe. She took him by the hand and lead him to her bedroom.


	12. Chapter 12

He awoke the next morning to the smell of brewing coffee and cooking bacon. He thought, how cute that she's making breakfast. He thought of last night and acknowledged that she was definitely worthwhile. She had been holding back a bit, testing him, but she proved herself to be deliciously uninhibited.

He got up, dressed and when into the kitchen. She turned and said, "Good Morning!" and he walked up behind her as she cooked and kissed her on the neck. At this she turn her head and gave him a little half smile and a look that surprised him. He was mildly amused to see that despite the fact that she was making the 'I really like this guy' breakfast, she was actually done with him.

Not being able to help himself he asked, "Do you always do this?"

"Well, it's Sunday and I always make a big breakfast on Sunday. You picked a good night to stay over."

"What I meant was, are you always this quick to get rid of your lovers?"

At first she didn't really understand him but then the light when on as if she'd heard this before.

She smiled and responded, "Sorry, I've been told that I can be a bit cold before."

"By who, the Ex?"

"Yes. To tell you the truth, this is the first time I've been with anyone that I wasn't already dating, so this is a little weird. But stay, eat, I'm not kicking you out, I just…"

"Will I make you late for church?" He asked thinking of all of the religous items she had in the house.

"Ha! I'm actually more of a part-time Catholic at the moment. Sit down."

But she did not relent in projecting the sense that she wanted to be alone, so of course, he wanted to see her again.

* * *

He got her to agree to have him over again next weekend and he found that he enjoyed her company, so he ended up spending more and more time with her. She knew a little bit about just about everything and was particularly bright. She appreciated his wicked sense of humor but his smooth tongue did not impress her. She laughed at him more often than not when he tried to charm her which frustrated and amused him at the same time. He was surprised that after spending so much time with him, she did not show any of the normal effects from his presence. But one thing she wouldn't do was let him close to her in the slightest way, which again meant that that was what he wanted. 

When he asked she told him all about her life. She'd grown up in this very house with her grandparents and her mother in a half-Hispanic family. She'd gone to Catholic school all her life, but dabbled in magic after meeting her first boyfriend in college who introduced her to it. She hadn't known her father until she was in her twenties and even though he was a very nice guy and available to her now, she didn't have any real attachment to him. She wasn't angry with him, she just didn't feel anything towards him. Her last boyfriend, a 7 yearlong relationship, was a controlling one and she now found herself rejecting any kind of impediments to doing what she wanted. But since she was a naturally open person, tell him this information did not mean that she trusted him, so he had to go search of other ways to get to her.

* * *

Despite the fact that Lucifer had been having sex for centuries and was familiar with all kinds of sexual acts, there were many things that he himself had never done and Elizabeth managed to immediately unearth a few of them. He had never bothered to develop a "relationship" with a human, as he had been more inclined to simply screw and leave or to torment people with their own twisted fantasies, so he was quite surprised at her discoveries and to find himself so drawn to her sexually that he would get distracted by his desire for her in between their dates. 

Sex with her had gotten intense, particularly when they both discovered, quite by accident, that sometimes he liked a little pain with his pleasure…mmm well more than a little. On top of it, Elizabeth was good enough at reading his uncensored reactions (he never had the wherewithal to hide them) to perfect her methods disturbingly quickly and she had the feistiness to stand up to his often rough responses. He could tell that, although she was not inhibited, she didn't have much experience in that area but she became so good at it he wanted it more and more. Ah, her fingernails raking across his bare skin and biting into his flesh, her teeth nipping at him and her tongue soothing him after, her delicate hands that could be both cruel and kind! And when pain wasn't on the menu, she had a remarkable way of bring out a gentle side of him that he hadn't known he possessed. He would lay with her for hours caressing her and kissing her and letting her explore his body in a way he'd never taken the time to allow before. Her touch thrilled him but at the same time it quieted the part of him that would have simply devoured another woman for his own gratification.

Once she had trusted him, she had been easy to please, but that hadn't made pleasing her any less satisfying. In fact, he began to enjoy and become familiar with the sounds she made and the way her body felt as she progressed towards the climax he intended for her. She was always quick to give in to his attentions which made toying will her extremely satisfying and if he did it well enough, she would retaliate in some very delightful ways.

* * *

By the time he realized that he was attached to her emotionally as well, it was too late to do anything about it. He decided that if she was a possibility as a mate, he needed to tell her who he was and see what happened. So after she cleaned up the kitchen after another dinner and she went to lay on the bed and he went to lay next to her. They looked at each other as they rested on their elbows.

"There's something I want to tell you," he said.

"Yes."

"I'm not who you think I am."

"Really?"

"No, I just so happen to be the Devil, Lucifer himself," he said with a smile.

She laughed.

"You don't believe me."

"Of course not," she laughed again.

So he disappeared from the bed and reappeared in the doorway.

She was definitely disturbed by this and moved back a bit but said, "Whoa, okay, but that doesn't prove anything."

He then switched to his demonic form at which she jump up and blurted out, "Change back!" as if he was showing her something discussing and he switched back.

"What are you?"

"I told you."

"Shit," and then under her breath to herself, "You're losing your touch, Selith."

Surprised he said, "You know your guardian angel?"

"No, just my imagination, I like to think I have a guardian angel. I did one of those meditation things and asked him for his name once and I came up with Selith."

"Oh, he's quite real, I can assure you and I would know...being an angel and all. He's slightly offended that you think he's imaginary and that you blame him for my presence here."

"Sorry, Selith, I'm sure if you had any power against this thing you would have used it."

"Do you believe me now?"

"Absolutely not, but I'm willing to work under the assumption that you are the Devil, for now. What is it that you want?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself," he said not realizing how much he sounded like Azazeal when he was pursuing Cassie.

"Great! Can't you find someone else? No…wait you're here now and I don't want to unleash you on someone else."

* * *

So against her better judgment she let him hang around, not that she could have stopped him, and now that he didn't have to hide who he was, he popped in when ever he wanted. He was pleased at how easily she became used to who and what he was, as long as he didn't scare her. She was not a natural witch like Cassie, but she had a lot of information and her mind was open so she had some advantages. She learned the hard way that he would sometimes appear only to her and not to those around her, so she developed the ability to sent thoughts at him rather naturally. But she always refused anything he asked for or wanted, especially sex. He did not understand how she could be so comfortable with him and yet so unaccepting of the fact that he might actually be telling the truth. 

"Come on, you've got to want something. Tell me what you most desire."

"Right, so you can corrupt me."

"Of course not, you're searching, let me help you find what you're looking for."

"You have no reason to help me so you must have an ulterior motive."

"Why can't I just like you and want to be of some help."

"I don't know, maybe because you're the Devil."

* * *

One morning, she woke up to a very bright room and when she opened her eyes she realized that she was not in her bedroom. She rolled over and saw that she was is a brightly colored room with a floor length window open to a wonderful breeze. She could see only sky so she lifted up a bit to see what was outside. When she saw the Eiffel Tower, she quickly laid back down. 

"It better be Saturday," she called out to him. He popped out from nowhere and she added, "How did you get me here without me waking up?"

"Well, you're a very deep sleeper," he smiled.

"How do you even know that I like Paris?"

"I think your art gives it away."

"What if I used to like it but I don't now?"

He sat on the bed next to her and said smoothly, "Then tell me where you want to be."

But she made him take her home. She was not angry but she didn't understand what he was doing and it was getting harder to ignore his persistence. He was nothing but pleasant and kind to her and he really did appear to want to please her, but it just did not make sense that he had no motive but to make her happy.

* * *

At the end of a long day at work, he came to her office to follow her home.

"And how was your day?" She asked as she finished up the last of her work for that day.

He smiled mischievously, "Oh, I was a bad boy today."

"What did you do?" she looked up concerned.

"Oh, I incited a fun little riot."

"What did you do that for?"

"I was bored," he shrugged.

"You shouldn't do things like that."

"Who's going to stop me?"

She shook her head and said, "I would if I could but I doubt anyone can."

"Is that what you want? Why don't you ask me, hmm? I keep telling you that I want to do something for you."

"So, you'll just stop being evil if I ask you?"

"Well, I can't promise you that," he said with a smirk, "but if there's something in particular you don't want me to do..." and he shrugged.

"And then what?" she asked suspiciously.

"And then nothing. I will have done what you asked."

She eyed him distrustfully but said nothing and they went home together without mentioning it further.

* * *

Once he popped in out of the blue as Elizabeth was gardening and said playfully, "I feel like making mischief today. It feels like a good day for some wonton debauchery mostly involving the corruption of your beloved human race. Do you have any suggestions?" 

"Of course! I want you to…nice try buddy," she said as she was about to suggest the opposite in a way that might have been construed as request. "Why don't you hang out with me today?" she continued. "I'll keep you out of trouble."

"Yes, but you see dear, I'm trying to get into trouble," he purred, "Trying to make my mark, don't you see? But it takes so much to get noticed around here," he finished rather glumly.

"Oh, I notice you. It's hard not to," she said with a smile and a slight twinkle in her eye that she couldn't control because, despite her resolve, his sexy voice had made her wish he wasn't off limits.

"Do you?" he asked moving closer in an imposing way, "Do you really see me? Do you think you really know what makes me tick?"

Elizabeth's expression became more serious and unsure, "No, of course not."

"That's too bad," Lucifer said quickly and Elizabeth actually believed, to her surprise, that he really was disappointed.

* * *

On a day that she was particularly cheerful, they were walking along the beach trail and she asked all excited and laughing, "Can you make it rain sulfur?" 

He laughed back and said, "Yes, why?"

"Haven't you seen _Dogma_?"

"What?"

So, of course, their next stop was the video store where she rented _Dogma. _She loved that movie and he thought it was hilarious.

"I just love Metatron," she said when it was over, "He's just so put out by us."

"He's much more serious in real life," Lucifer laughed, "But he is rather self-important."

They had a good laugh at the movie followed by an uncomfortable leave taking. When Lucifer abruptly got up to go, knowing he was going to be kicked out eventually, Elizabeth rose and took his arm as if she wanted him to stay. He paused expectantly, but with a regretful smile, she only hugged him and wished him goodnight.

* * *

Lucifer grew more desirous of her, perhaps because she rejected him so easily, and as his frustration grew, he finally broke. 

"You can't resist me for much longer. Think of what will make you the most happy and let me give it to you. No strings."

She appeared to be considering it as she ate her breakfast and she finally replied, "You could get me a napkin," which brought her great amusement.

After being rejected yet again, having offered her anything she wanted in the plainest terms he could think of, he became angry. She had stood and taken her dishes to the sink when he grabbed her from behind and pinned one of her arms.

"I could force you," he growled, which actually wasn't true but she didn't know that because she assumed he meant sex.

She tried to free her pinned arm, so he gripped it a tighter and her arm started to hurt. He was holding her in such a way that she would have to twist her arm further in order to get at him with her other hand. To his surprise she relaxed and did just that, increasing her pain in order to attack him. She reached out with her free hand and took a hold of his neck but did not just press, but dug in with her nails as if she would rip open this throat. He quickly let her go and got both arms pinned down by her side as she faced him, which was harder than you might think because he had to use just enough force so as not to hurt her. She was unafraid and her eyes flashed with fury.

"Don't you ever do that again?"

She appeared to calm a little so he asked, "Can I let you go?"

"Sure," she responded, trying to be convincing, but he felt her test his grip, so he didn't let go.

Suddenly, an annoyed look crossed his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Selith is laughing. He's proud of you."

"Can you see him?"

"No, newer guardian angels are more essence and thought than form, to keep them from falling."

"Hm," she responded now completely relaxed in his grip, her rage over.

"Oh, but he assures you that he's quite real."

"Thank you, Selith," she smiled into the air.

Lucifer shook his head.

"Are you jealous of my little guardian?"

"I'm jealous of everything that you love," he said fiercely but also with a sadness that struck her. He released her and left the house immediatly.

* * *

Later that night, he came back and, moving up behind her, he said, "I want to feel you," as he traced a finger from her shoulder down her arm. Then nuzzling he ear he said, "Take me to bed," his voice strained with desire. 

She shuddered because her ears were one of the most sensitive areas on her body and because she wanted to do just that, but she said, "No." She didn't see the pain and frustration in his face as he dragged himself away from her.


	13. Chapter 13

It messed with Lucifer's head how much he wanted Elizabeth, but not as much as the realization of what he truly wanted from her. He had charged headlong into this without really thinking about what it might really mean and how it might be different for him than it was for Azazeal. Azazeal had had the luxury of not really knowing what was happening to him or how much he would end up caring for Cassie, while Lucifer had just come to understand what he was looking for and now knew exactly what was necessary from him to get what he really wanted. The thought both terrified and excited him. She could do it, he thought, but he just could not put himself in that position if she wasn't going to accept her part in this.

He'd finally decided that taking her to Cassie to have her fill in the missing piece was the best course of action, so he convinced her to come with him to England to meet them.

* * *

Elizabeth was actually quite irritated with Lucifer this morning. Last night he would not let her alone and he had finally crossed the line in tempting her to sleep with him. She'd know all along that he could have her if he wanted, he had that kind of power, but he'd been very careful not to use it on her until now. The fact that she'd enjoyed his body so much and the easy way he teased out such intense pleasure only made it worse. He was unapologetic but seemed to know that what he'd done might have dire consequences because he watched her carefully as she got ready to go meet Cassie and Azazeal. He was wrongly encouraged by the fact that she was still going to meet them because she was now hoping what ever she found out from Cassie would give her a way to get out of this. 

When Elizabeth entered the church was first met my Azazael himself who relatively politely asked her what she was doing there.

"My name is Elizabeth and Lucifer sent me here to see Cassie."

"Welcome, Elizabeth," and then after a strange pause, " and Selith."

"Ah, yes, he apparently feels that he should be properly addressed when meeting other angels," Elizabeth explained and Azazeal nodded with a smile.

"Cassie is in her room, I'll take you to her."

"Thank you and Lucifer is outside. He said he's not supposed to see Cassie so he's waiting for you."

* * *

"Lucifer told me that you have the last piece of information that I need to figure this whole thing out. He's told me about his fall, Azazeal's fall, you, Malachi, the End of Days (sorry about what he did to Azazeal, by the way), and how you are working with the fallen angels, but he can't or won't tell me what he wants from me." 

"Yes, it seems to be a problem that they all share," Cassie said, remembering how cryptic Azazeal was when she first met him.

"I am glad to see that he told the truth about you and you Azazeal, but I still don't trust him."

Cassie smiled knowingly, "Let me tell you what I know. Lucifer told me that our relationship, well it's more that that but, anyway, Azazeal's and my love for each other mirror the divine experience for him and allow him to be happy enough to be content here. And, sometimes, when we make love he experiences a state of being in love that feels to him almost like being in the divine presence. Azazeal showed this to me so that I could explain it to you for them."

"Hm," Elizabeth said thinking, "that makes some sense…but it's not him."

"What?" Cassie waited as Elizabeth thought this over.

"Ah!" A light bulb went on in Elizabeth's head and she smiled to herself calculatingly and appeared to be amused by what she had discovered. Her eyes dropped closed for a split second and a few seconds later Lucifer appeared in front of them looking intently at Elizabeth.

"I believe you and Cassie know each other," Elizabeth said. Lucifer turned his head and smiled at Cassie. He seemed different to Cassie, but she could quite put her finger on how.

"Cassie, would you be kind enough to ask Azazeal to come in here?" Elizabeth asked, clearly knowing what a problem it would create.

"But…"

"Please?"

* * *

Azazeal was irritated when Lucifer disappeared mid-conversation, but then he heard Cassie call to him, so he walked into the other room. 

"What the hell do you think your doing?" he yelled upon seeing Lucifer precisely were he didn't want him, in the same room with a very pregnant Cassie.

Lucifer just smiled at him and took a step forward in challenge, which infuriated Azazeal even further.

"You will pay for breaking your promise," Azazeal spat.

Then Elizabeth broke the tension between them saying, "Fine! Take him," to Azazeal, which he assumed meant the she was annoyed at them for interrupting and wanted them to leave. Lucifer gave her with a questioning look, which she returned with a steady gaze, but he did not say anything. Azazeal reached out and took his arm and they vanished.

* * *

"What's going on?" Cassie asked when they had left. 

"Let me explain, if I can, it's really quite…What you have to understand about Lucifer is that everything about him more extreme than Azazeal. He is more powerful and what his purpose was, is beyond our comprehension. He wants weld his power but never wanted to be in charge and he wants love but not as much as he wants attention. In the past few weeks that I've been with him, all he's done, besides trying to sleep with me, is ask me to give him something to do and make sure I was paying attention to him. I thought that he was just trying to win me over so he could get what he really wants but I think that was it. He wants to have at least some control in his life, someone whose watching and who he answers to, even if he's put them there himself."

"How do you know this?"

"Because he's been trying to tell me for days."

"Okay and why did you set up the confrontation between them?"

"Well, depending on what Azazeal does, I've put Lucifer a position where he can confirm my theory if he chooses."

* * *

To see if he could pick a fight, Azazeal took Lucifer to the place in the abyss where the post to which he had been tied to still stood. Lucifer took a look around, smiling. 

"You remember this place don't you?" he said to Lucifer, turning back to look at him. To his surprise Lucifer was just slipping off his coat and then began to undo his shirt buttons as he gave Azazeal a defiant look. Azazeal moved closer and when Lucifer was done taking off his shirt, he walked over to the post as Azazeal followed him and wrapped his arms around it. After only a few moments of confused hesitation, Azazeal used the ties that were still attached to the post to secure Lucifer firmly to the post. He walked back and conveniently found the lash that he needed innocently lying on the ground. He reached down, picked it up, and began to take his revenge on Lucifer.

Azazeal took no small amount of satisfaction in the fact that Lucifer was soon crying out in pain, but to his credit he was not trying to escape. Azazeal finally got bored and stopped and went over to his victim to gloat.

"How was that?" he said smugly and waited for Lucifer to respond.

"Do you want to know the difference between you and I?" he said as he managed a naughty grin even though he was still in pain. "Right now, I am as hard as a rock for her, because this…was what she wanted." And he laughed a little to himself at his strange predicament.

"And will she reward you?" Azazeal asked, trying to figure him out.

"It doesn't matter," he replied and closed his eyes.

* * *

Azazeal did not know what to think so he went back to Elizabeth and Cassie. 

"I think you should come and get him," he told her.

Her concerned but not surprised reaction seemed to confirm what Lucifer had said. After a glance at Cassie, she stood and let Azazeal take her to him.

When she saw him, sadness showed on her face and she quickly went to him, but did not untie him. Instead she put her hand to his face and lifted his head to kiss him on the mouth. Then she just looked at him for a minute before kissing him again and allowing her other hand to slide down from where it had been on his shoulder along his chest and down between his legs. As she had suspected he was excited and as she felt him through the fabric of his pants, he shuddered. She undid his pants and as soon as she touched his bare skin, he took a sharp intake of breath and tensed, almost jerking away, but as soon as he relaxed she took hold of him and began to stroke him. He moaned only once before losing control and coming in her hand like a young boy. His breath remained heavy for a few minutes. Azazeal had already left them.

Finally, Elizabeth shook her head and said, "You know I didn't really think you'd do it."

"I know…but it was the only real thing you've ever asked of me."

She wanted to say that she was sorry but, as she had predicted, she knew that he actually felt a twisted since of satisfaction to have done something, anything, that touched her. And now she could not ignore him.

"So, are you going to untie me or what?"

"I'm still considering it," she replied with a smirk, but started to work at the knots.

* * *

Once Elizabeth accepted her role and allowed him to come to her bed, he fell completely in love with her and soon Lucifer fully realized, to his delight, what a sick, sick man he was. She didn't try to control everything and he didn't always listen, but when he paid for his mistakes, it was almost as fun as when he'd done what she wanted. He found that wanted to belong to her in ways that were completely inappropriate not to mention entirely undignified. And that was before he felt what it was like to tremble before her in angelic ecstasy that he hadn't felt for centuries. But they found a balance and she kept him from making too much mischief. 


	14. Chapter 14

"Those two are disturbed," Azazeal said to Cassie.

"Oh, I don't know," Cassie smiled, "I think they're cute together."

"Cute?"

Lucifer and Elizabeth visited every few days and she and Cassie had become good friends. It was nice for both of them to have another human to talk to who understood their…situation. They could and did compare notes and Cassie learned a lot from Elizabeth who had already begun actually learning the angelic language and many other things from Malachi and Lucifer. She was very quick and unafraid to try new things. This made sense to Cassie because of who she had to keep up with.

She and Lucifer were like young lovers and could be really quite amusing. However, it was a great mystery to everyone what exactly happened between the two of them because while Lucifer liked to joke that she tortured him endlessly, she convincingly swore that she had never harmed him in any way. There was much speculation by all of the angels and their statements and actions were dissected with much delight in the hopes of discovering the truth.

"How can you say that? You know what happened," Azazeal continued.

"I've told you, all she did was tell him to let you have your revenge, if you wanted it. You're the one who couldn't resist and he's the fool who let you."

"But why?"

"You're not like him, so you cannot understand."

"And you can?"

"No, I just know that what Elizabeth tells me makes sense and he's happy, what more do you need to know."

Azazeal smiled and changed the subject saying, "I need to know what our girl will look like," touching her belly.

"We'll know soon enough, I think."

Ardousius had told her, when she asked, that she now knew exactly when Cassie would have the baby. For some reason this reassured Cassie, but she didn't ask to know when. She had asked Ardousius to make sure that Elizabeth and Lucifer where there: Elizabeth for herself and Lucifer because he was the only person she thought could control Azazeal if something were to happen.

* * *

"Malachi, aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?" Lucifer asked as Ella walked in the church and over to them as they sat talking about some of the more difficult angels. 

"I am not his girlfriend," Ella announced forcefully.

"Oh, my mistake," he said smoothly.

"Lucifer, this is Ella Dee, Ella this is Lucifer," Malachi said.

He stood up and said, "Well, well, well, Ella Dee. I've heard so much about you." He moved closer to her and she took a step back, but he moved out of her way and gestured for her to take a seat next to Malachi. When she did, he sat on the other side of her, blocking her in.

He leaned towards them both and said, "You know, Malachi, I really think you're missing the boat here, she's very attractive," he said looking her up and down. "But I supposed that the fact that she's still under orders to kill you may be a bit of a turn off," then adding seductively, "though I can't say I would feel the same way."

Malachi had known that she was watching him but had not suspected that she was actually still supposed to kill him. He felt a little like a fool, but he had grown attracted to her so he wasn't surprised that he hadn't seen it. Leave it to Lucifer to find the most embarrassing way to let him in on this secret. He was about to say something when Lucifer continued.

"I don't suppose I have to tell you, Ella," his face changing from pleasant to devious, "that if you harm him, you'll have more than Azazeal to deal with."

She smiled sweetly and defiantly, "I'm looking forward to it."

"Lucifer, leave her alone," Elizabeth called from the other end of the church. His eyes glanced to the side unconsciously following the sound of her voice and then they slowly returned to Ella's face. He grinned widely and left them.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Cassie woke with a start. She didn't know what woke her but after a few moments a sharp pain in her belly confirmed what she suspected. She slowly got out of bed and just as she walked out of the room, she saw Ardousius smiling at her happily with a new gown to put on for her water had already broken. Another pain struck her and her knees went weak and thought she would fall. She reached out for the wall but couldn't find it and she grew scared because Ardousius was not moving to help her, but then she felt strong hands grip her from behind and hold her up. She smiled gratefully, but she could not see the look of worry on Azazeal's face. 

Ardousius however appeared unconcerned and simply turned to lead them to the room she had prepared for this occasion. She had obtained just the right kind of bed and equipment and every other appropriate thing that they might need. Ardousius told her that right now the best thing was to walk around a bit so she detached her from Azazeal, helped her into her new gown, and kept her standing and walking. Both of them were now oblivious to Azazeal presence and he did not move from where they had left him near the door.

* * *

Lucifer jerked awake from a deep sleep and smiling turned over to Elizabeth to wake her. She looked up at him with sleepy eyes and he said, "It's time." 

A groggy smiled formed on her face and she got herself out of bed to dress.

* * *

All of sudden it felt to Azazeal that the room was filled with people, when in fact only Elizabeth and Lucifer had joined them. Elizabeth was already next to Cassie talking to her and reassuring her, while Lucifer stood next to and slightly behind him. The rest presences that he felt, he realized, were actually milling around in excitement in the front of the church. He could do nothing but watch as the age-old process of giving birth to a new life unfolded in front of him. 

She was lying down now with Elizabeth sitting next to her, holding her hand, and Ardousius peaking under the sheet that she had draped over Cassie's legs. Each time she seized up in pain, Azazeal's face contorted in distress. The women were calm and undisturbed by this process, but he had not really considered this in great enough detail to have realized what he would see and feel on this day.

He had still not moved from his place near the door and Lucifer watched him carefully from his spot next to him. Azazeal looked at Elizabeth who was smiling and talking to Cassie, but he couldn't not hear anything at all, as if he was blocking out all sound. She was smiling at Cassie even though Cassie was crushing her hand with all of her force. Why was he here and she was there? Why was she strong enough to share her pain while he was not?

He remembered that Ardousius had said that she would make the pain go away but only after a certain point in the process because she would need feedback from Cassie. She had in fact already done it but even without the pain, the effort that it took Cassie push still appeared to Azazeal as suffering. How could he have done this to her? He felt Lucifer's hand heavily on his shoulder and he turned to look at him and found a look of understanding on Lucifer's face, which was, of course, not something you would expect to see.

He turned back to the scene in front of him and abruptly Ardousius revealed the little one they had been waiting for from beneath the sheet. He relaxed as Cassie relaxed and he allowed himself a small smile as Ardousius expertly cleaned and wrapped the child and placed her in Cassie's arms.

Elizabeth turned to them and shook her head at their expressions, then got up to make a place for Azazeal to sit by Cassie. He moved closer, though he did not feel his legs moving, and he sat next to her where Elizabeth had been sitting. Cassie turned to him and said, "Isn't she beautiful?" which was the first sound he'd heard in a long time. He saw to his surprise, that in her excitement and joy she had already forgotten about any pain and stress that she had felt, as if the baby had just appeared out of nowhere. He heard Ardousius telling him privately that it was often this way and that he should say something now. But he could not yet.

Cassie lifted up the child to him and he took her. He looked down at the child and could not help but shed a tear for at this moment it was the only way he could express all the love that was emanating from him.

Lucifer and Elizabeth went out to the angels gathering outside and announced the birth of the baby girl. Rather than a cheer, there rose from them instead a kind of mental hum of joy and welcome. At this, Lucifer, smiled and said, "I guess you can't keep the angel out of us."

* * *

A few weeks later, when Aunt Elizabeth arrived, Sara giggled and toddled over to her. Picking her up, she said, "And how are you Princess?" 

To Cassie, "How is everything?"

"Good. I think Azazeal finally believes that she's real."

"You should really stop teasing him, you know."

Cassie just smiled.

"I came to tell you that we're going on, well a little vacation, I guess you could call it. So I may not see you for a little while."

"Where are you two going?'

"Everywhere," she shrugged, and Cassie understood that with Lucifer's mode of travel they really didn't need to make plans or arrangements so anywhere was possible.

"So, you finally gave in, huh?"

"He's impossible so, yeah I did."

Elizabeth had refused to give up her house, her job, or her semblance of a real life. She went to work everyday, worked in her garden, and, as always flitted, from hobby to hobby as her attention moved from one thing to another and back again. Also, much to Lucifer's amusement and irritation, he would often find her doing things that he would rather have done for her. What she did choose to ask of him generally related to keeping himself out of trouble, but this once he had convinced her to let him take her around the world. Besides, she could tell that he really couldn't stand not doing things just for her. Of course, what she told Cassie that she didn't tell him, was that part of her reasoning was that taking airplane trips added to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, so she felt that this was a good way to see the world, like she always wanted, and get around that problem. But what he had not told her, was that not only had Selith, her guardian angel, agreed to call Lucifer in the event of any danger to her, but that her house was also now protected not only by Selith but by a few of his minions as well. So, it all evened out really.


	15. Chapter 15

Azazeal adored Sara and spent more time than was necessary with her. She was an easy child who laughed more than she cried, but then the atmosphere in their little church was very different from when Malachi was a baby. Azazeal seemed a bit reluctant to teach her any little tricks but she had enough natural talent to make it inevitable that she would be just like Malachi. Of course, this may been because Malachi was secretly enjoying teaching her things behind their backs and watching their expressions when she pulled off another amazing trick. Cassie teased Azazeal that he should have no reason to treat Malachi and Sara differently because she wouldn't have suspected that he would be caught in the gender role trap. But maybe it was just because Sara was not intended for a special destiny at birth like Malachi had been.

Cassie was glad to see that Azazeal seemed to realize now that Malachi still needed him too. Though Malachi had often been involved in some of Azazeal's "adventures," ever since the battle in the abyss, he treated his son more like a grown man that he probably should have. Malachi was a lot of things and "knew" a lot of things, but ultimately he was still a boy. They spent much more time talking about non-sense and having a little fun. Of course, this did not meant that Azazeal's scheming days were over.

"You like Ella don't you?"

"Uh, yeah, she's nice."

"Lucifer told you that she is under orders again to kill you?"

"Yup," he responded non-committal.

"I should tell you that we had an ingenious plan B in the event that we could not eliminate her," Azazeal said smoothly.

Malachi looked at him questioningly and Azazeal smiled.

"Both of you have a natural attraction to one another, both part human and part…something else. But you also have the ability to find and give people what they most desire."

"Yeah and?"

"What is it that you think Ella most desires after spending 500 years battling me? Well, except for killing us both, I suppose."

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do. It is the reason why she hangs around and has not tried to kill you yet. She's attracted to you too and this is the most normal life she's known in ages. Don't you think she'd like to relax now?"

Azazeal left him then with his covert suggestion to see what would happen.

* * *

"Thelma, stop it!" Cassie said, laughing. 

"But I like making faces at the baby."

"So she's a baby and Malachi was an evil creature?"

"Well, I don't know, it's different now."

"I see. Well, don't make her laugh so hard that she doesn't have any energy left to play at the park, huh?"

"Alright," she said frowning.

Ella walked in.

"Going out are we?"

"Yes…would you like to come?" Cassie offered, but Thelma was clearly not in agreement. Ella was amazed at how quickly they had all begun to keep their eyes on her after Lucifer had called her out.

"If you don't mind. I think I like to spend some time with the girls."

"Sure come along with us then." And it was settled.

Azazeal watched the three, well four, of them walk out together and was not amused. In a typically over protective move, although not entirely uncalled for, he sent both Araqiel and Ramiel to watch them. Nothing happened this time but all were on heightened alert now that Ella was getting close to Sara.

* * *

As was to be expected Azazeal and Cassie had an argument about Ella. 

"You had us followed?"

"She will harm Sara."

"No, she won't and even if she tries I won't let her."

"We need to control her."

"I will talk to her."

"Talk to her?"

"Yes, she deserves a chance to give this up. She's given all she has to protect humanity. She and I have the same goal. You will not harm her."

He paced around the room, clearly not happy with this decision, but he knew it was important to her.

"Fine, talk to her, but her life is forfeit if she…"

"I know," Cassie said and she went over to wrap her arms around him.

* * *

It had been a several weeks since Elizabeth and Lucifer had returned from their travels, but Cassie and Azazeal had seen them only once. They were not really concerned but they were curious. 

One morning Azazeal awoke early and found Lucifer laying on one of the couches with his eyes open, staring at nothing. He tried to talk to him but he would not respond. He was clearly unkempt and would go from sleeping to crying to staring off at nothing again for no apparent reason. Throughout that day various angels tried to get him to speak, to get him to tell them what was wrong, but he would not acknowledge any of them, except to move out of the way if anyone tried to touch him. Even Malachi and Cassie elicited no response.

Finally, after everyone had left, Cassie went back over to him. She had tried to call Elizabeth but she wasn't answering her phone and the angels they sent to look for her could not find her.

"Lucifer, you have to tell me what happened."

After a few moments he did finally, move his eyes to look at her and said, "She will not touch me."

Confused but not surprised that he was capable of having done something to make her respond this way she asked, "What did you do?"

He closed his eyes and said, "I facilitated a genocide."

She actually found it mildly funny, not the genocide but that this was the type of thing they would fight over, but he was taking this very seriously so she did too.

"Well, didn't you apologize or fix it or something."

"I put a stop to it weeks ago," he said still clearly troubled.

"Well, you can't expect her to just jump in to bed with you."

He turned to her with such a pained and serious look that it shocked her. He sat up and slowly, almost angrily he said. "She will not look at me, she will not acknowledge me, she will not do anything to me."

Cassie finally understood the seriousness of what was going on between them.

"How long has it been?"

"Almost a month," and he started to rock back and forth slightly in disbelief and discomfort.

"And she won't…" Cassie started.

Again, slowly and with pain in his voice and his eyes half closed, "I have begged her…I have pleaded with her…I don't care if all I get to feel for the foreseeable future…is a lash punishing every inch of my body…as long as she is on the other end of it," he said and even though what he said was shocking he said it with a kind of longing as he continued rocked back and forth. "I cannot function without her."

"Would she do that to you?" Cassie asked dumb founded. But he only gave her a curious look that neither confirmed nor denied the possibility and it was impossible for her to tell if he meant it literally or figuratively.

Cassie stared at him for a while and eventually he returned to his laying position again and stared at nothing.

* * *

In his head, he was playing back over and over again the last time they spoke. 

"How could you do such a thing?"

"It just kind of happened."

"Kind of happened? I told you that I hated it how humans could do that to one another for such stupid reasons as religion, race, whatever, and I told you I hoped to never see you involved in that kind of thing. It happens enough on it's own. And you go and do just that?"

"I'm sorry. I can put a stop to it."

"Great! But what do I do with you now?"

"I'm yours," he said which meant whatever she wanted.

"Are you? How could you be?" But he did not respond now as he was beginning to realize how hurt and angry she was.

"I know what you want," she said smugly and angrily, "Pain…pain and then I forgive you, right? Well, it doesn't work like that."

After a pause, she added, "And you know what makes it worse is that I don't want to be doing this, being angry with you, scolding you. I want you in my bed…but I can't..."

"Please, Elizabeth…"

"Leave!" she spat.

And being too afraid to not do as she asked he had left her.

He had spent the next weeks going between the abyss and her sometimes begging, sometimes angry, and sometimes just follwing her aimlessly with tears in his eyes waiting for her to stop this. He didn't know why he'd done it but it didn't matter anymore. His thoughts were fixed on her and all he could think was, "Not again…I cannot start this again," referring to being torn away from that which he loved so much.

* * *

The next morning Cassie had Azazeal take her to Elizabeth's house and this time she was there absently working on a painting in her workroom. At first she seemed perfectly happy but upon turning and seeing Cassie's worried face, she started to cry. 

Azazeal left them, but not before Elizabeth asked him not to tell Lucifer that Cassie was with her. Cassie nodded her agreement, so he returned home but did not approach Lucifer.


	16. Chapter 16

"He's in pieces, Elizabeth."

She appeared disturbed to hear this but not entirely convinced.

"What did he tell you?"

After Cassie told her what he had said, Elizabeth looked very unhappy but reluctant smile flashed across her face for a second.

"He's always so dramatic."

Not understanding Cassie said, "I don't think he's exaggerating."

"Oh, I know he's not, but even now he can't just be sorry for what he's done."

"But he is."

"No, not really. It's not what he has done that bothers him, but my reaction to it. He doesn't really know what regret feels like. He wasn't made with it because he was never meant to do anything wrong. He'd do it again and he knows it, unless someone stops him."

"Isn't that what you do?"

She laughed, "I cannot really control him. Do not mistake his love for me as giving me any inherent leverage over the extreme parts of his nature. On a normal level, he's almost like any other guy but when it comes to using his power he's just not always capable of doing or not doing certain things just because I've asked him. He has never been able to control himself. So, we have a little arraignment when it comes to these "things" that he does or wants to do so that I can put enough pressure on him to get him to stop because I can't follow him around all day scolding him. But I miscalculated and I allowed him to disregard our arraignment in a major way. Now I'm so shocked by the effect on real people that I just don't know how to deal with this."

"It's not your fault," Cassie said.

But Elizabeth could not help feeling somehow partially responsible.

* * *

Malachi took the opportunity of his mother being gone and his father having to stay with his little sister in order to get himself in to trouble. He went to see Ella at her room at Mendham and see just what she was made of.

"Hi, Malachi, I didn't expect you," she said opening her door after he knocked.

"I didn't tell you I was coming," and he walked past her into the room and sat on her bed.

"Ella, I decided that we should have it out now and see who wins."

"You've decided?"

"Yes."

"And what makes you think you have any chance against me?"

"What makes you think I'm worried about you in the slightest?"

Her eyes accepting the challenge, "Well, if you insist."

"I do. And since actually killing each other is…inconvenient…I think we should put a wager on it."

"Oh, backing down are we?"

"No, not backing down, I'm just not willing to upset the balance just out of curiosity, but I am willing to make it interesting for you."

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

"Why is he so distraught?"

"Because I'm supposed to respond and ignoring him is not one of the acceptable responses. He's done this before, this "I've done this thing, now what are you going to do about it?" It's like a game. But he's never done anything close to this horrible before. How does he make up for this, not to me but to those people?"

"So you decided to avoid having to deal with him? I understand that."

"I decided to ignore him with every intention of calling him back once I figured this out. But I can't let him off of the hook lightly."

"Why didn't you come to me?"

"To be honest, I thought that I couldn't let him know that I went running to you and Azazeal, so he couldn't try to use you both to influence me."

"Well, he didn't come to us until yesterday. But he is miserable."

"He's used to the attention now. Having someone care what he does and react to his evil. You see, what I think, feel, and want with regards to his activities is very important to him but I'm responsible for ensuring that I get what I want. If I want him to do something, or not, or promise me something, or pay for something I have to take it from him in one-way or another. And he only allows me to do this because he does love me…and because he ultimately enjoys the surrender."

* * *

Azazeal was too distracted with Sara to notice the number of angels that were coming by just to check in on Lucifer. He had always been someone to fear and avoid, unless you did exactly what he wanted, but seeing him in this kind of distress was apparently worrying many of the more sensitive angels. Haniel and Muriel were particularly affected and spent the whole day discussing it.

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"It's between them, Haniel."

"But surely we can help."

"I have tried to comfort him but he refuses. I just hope she takes him back. Can you imagine what he'll be like if she doesn't?"

"Well, he was a bit scary, but I think he was just still angry about the fall."

"Only you, Haniel," and Muriel shook his head, "He was never just angry."

"I don't know, I just can't bear to see anyone like this," and she drifted over to him again. His eyes were now closed as he lay on the couch, so she reached out her hand to towards his shoulder. He didn't notice her in time and she managed to touch him for an instant before she jerked back in emotional pain. They looked at each other for a second and finally she wandered away with her eyes glazed over.

Muriel stopped her and said, concerned, "You shouldn't have done that."

"I know," she responded as she stared to cry.

* * *

"So, you do exert some power over him then?"

"Only what he allows really…but you want to know how it works don't you?" Elizabeth smiled.

"Well…I…"

"I know the speculation that goes on. I have many, many ways of getting what I want."

Cassie blushed a little.

"Sex, Cassie, it's always sex…I can give it as a reward or tease with it till I get what I want, but that's not always enough, so sometimes when necessary… he finds that it hurts," Elizabeth smiled wickedly.

"But you swore…"

"Semantics are a beautiful thing, Cassie. Pain, for whatever reason, is sometimes the only thing that allows him to give in to me and when used with pleasure and coercion, I can get him so twisted in knots, he'd agree to almost anything. But I don't harm him. What he said to you, does not happen, although it's not a bad idea," she teased still irritated with him.

"But I thought he, well, liked that sort of thing."

"Oh no, he only actually likes a little pain but I push it further than that when he won't give in to more subtle methods. It still turns him on though, because it's the surrender that it brings out of him that really gets him going. Besides, he knows that once he gives in...he is rewarded."

"Oh, my! I wouldn't have thought that would work on such a powerful and evil being."

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to tempt him into the bedroom even when it's obvious that I'm going to demand something. And no matter how much he fights me, when I have to move past playful and escalate to more serious methods, he never resists because really he's the one deciding how much it's going to take. Like I told you before, he wants to be controlled, but I just can't figure out exactly why that's so important to him."

"Interesting! You know, he really sounded like he would gladly come back to you even if all you would give him was agony."

"I know, he really would and that scares me, but it's also partially just the way he thinks of things. It's the only way he can think of to try to get me to forgive him. He has no concept of how to apologize for what he has actually done. He can only try to make it up to me."

* * *

Inside the old kitchen were Cassie had found the Canary, they began their battle. If Malachi won, they would spend a night together, which she shrugged off as a typically male and assumed he was teasing her. If Ella won, the stakes were much higher. Malachi would give her another chance kill him if he ever wanted to start the End of Days. They had agreed to no weapons, but of course Malachi had a few tricks up his sleeve.

He was very surprised by the amount of power that she had and in typical arrogance he played with her a little, not really giving her credit for actually being in the process of testing him for weaknesses. When he got bored of this, he decided to put and end to this but found himself more tired that he expected and Ella more skillful than he had suspected...

* * *

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll call him back to me tonight, get him off your hands."

"But if you're not ready…"

"I'm fine, besides I have to put an end to this. "

* * *

When Cassie came home, Azazeal told her that Malachi had not been home since the morning. They started to worry together and Lucifer watched them from across the church.

They were so intertwined, he thought. He had originally been rather disappointed to see that Azazeal's nefarious activities had turned in to mostly things that, had Cassie known about them, she probably wouldn't have minded. But after seeing them together more and more and actually thinking about Azazeal's nature, it made sense that he would make these changes for her. He easily let go of the desire to do evil that Lucifer had so carefully cultivated in him. He was still mischievous and certainly arrogant but the evil had been artificial. He had given parts of himself to her that he could not take back, but didn't want to. Lucifer tried to understand.

He, on the other hand, had made no real changes and realized that everything he'd ever offered Elizabeth was superficial. He could and would have given her any worldly thing she wanted and some otherworldly things too, but they would have meant nothing. Which is why, he supposed, that she did not ask. He loved her but he did this as much for what it did for him, then as just for her. He had given her access to his body and a bit of control, but these to were ultimately selfish. He began to wonder why she was with him at all.

All of sudden Lucifer jerked up to a sitting position and froze as if listening for something. It was almost too much to hope for but then he heard it again, "Lucifer, come here to me." He stood, shuddered, and went to her.


	17. Chapter 17

Lucifer appeared in her living room and from behind him she said, "Come over here and sit."

He turned to her and looked at her for a moment as if checking to make sure she was really there and this was not his imagination. Elizabeth wasn't entirely certain what she was going to say and do, so she looked back at him with an unreadable expression.

All he knew was that he did not want to be separated from her, but he didn't know what to do to deserve that. The details of human ways didn't always make sense to him. His only hope was that she would just tell him what to do, but as he thought this, it dawned on him maybe she just couldn't do that for him this time and she was waiting for him to do something.

He moved towards her and instead of sitting next to her, he sank to his knees in front of her with his head down and arms at his side. Only seconds later, it seemed to him like she was waiting for him to do something, an overreaction because of his earlier thoughts, so out of desperation he responded to this feeling in the only way an angel knew how.

* * *

As Malachi tried to get himself out of the defensive position that he was now in, for the first time in this battle he was afraid that he might lose. Ella was quick, persistent, and ruthless and despite the fact that he was more powerful, she had him on his heels. 

Finally getting him were she wanted him, on the ground with her knees pinning his arms down, she moved close to gloat and ask if he gave up. All he could think of was how sexy she looked when she felt powerful and before she could react, he lifted up and grabbed her lips with his own.

Before they knew it they were back in her bedroom and she was getting him out of his shirt. And when did, she stepped back to admire him and thought, "I should have gotten him out of his shirt a long time ago." She just stared at him and couldn't resist touching him now even though taking of his shirt was the only thing they'd accomplished so far besides passionate kisses. He must have been enjoying it because his breath became a little harder, so she looked up at him as she moved in to take on of his nipples in her mouth. He tensed in a way that made her think that, although he had done this many times already, he'd never been with anyone he had any feelings for. She smiled to herself and pulled him over to the bed.

* * *

"How could you just let him leave like that?" Cassie said. 

Azazeal couldn't help laughing at her because even though he still feared that Ella might harm him, other than that threat, Malachi was perfectly safe. Cassie was acting like an overprotective mother and hadn't even thought about Ella yet.

"Look, he's old enough to take care of himself. My only concern is that Ella might be involved in this."

"Right, well, I'll go to Mendham and see her. Do you know where he usually goes? Have you sent anyone to look for him?"

"I just sent Araqiel. Don't you think I should go to see Ella?"

"No, I still need to talk to her about this situation with her and Malachi and Sara, anyway. Hopefully, we can come to some kind of agreement on this."

He nodded, "You know Lucifer has left, what did Elizabeth tell you?"

"A lot of things actually," Cassie said sadly, "She said she would call him back tonight so I assume that's why he left."

"And what will she do?"

"She didn't say."

* * *

Before Elizabeth had to a chance to say anything, he started shaking in a familiar way and shortly angelic words began to pour out of him. She was stunned because she had never heard of one of the angels doing this outside the "bedroom." Despite her growing knowledge of the angelic language, she only recognized a few words but she could tell that he was repeating a certain set of things over and over. She knew that these were not words that he normally said to her because she was familiar with his normal professions of love, adoration, and passion. 

She reached out to him and said, "Hey, it's okay," touching him and then trying to get him to get up. "Come on, it's okay", but she couldn't get him to stop. She then put her hands on his shoulders and closed her eyes to try to feel what he was saying, another little trick she'd learned. She let her mind relax and the sounds flow over her to let them take her to the meaning.

When she felt it, she was shaken and then touched. How could this be? He was, without provocation, offering wholehearted surrender, absolute submission, no love as bait, no desire, no hope. She tried to calm him and eventually said "yes," sending a mental wave of love and acceptance of his offer as much to stop him as because she still loved him. It wasn't that she didn't want him or want to forgive him but that this was so out of character and so disconcerting, she didn't want to do anything wrong.

He trembled at her response and when he finished the last of the words that he had been repeating, he pause for a moment, but in his heart he felt it wasn't enough. He didn't want to have anything left, so he sank down to her feet and new words started to come out of him. Elizabeth was worried now because she was almost certain that he was now saying things that he should not, he'd always been a little scandalous, so she was sure that this was not safe. She touched him again and though she didn't understand how it could be possible, he was offering the same only it was now more pure, more complete, more perfect, and in a way more desperate. When she accepted this time, she was overwhelmed. Her consciousness shifted and it felt like she floated forever on a wave of his power and was able to glimpse a sense of what it felt like to have it.

When she came back to herself, she looked down and he had spread himself out flat on the hardwood floor in front of her. Seeming to know that she was "back," he said only one thing in simple angelic words, but in many ways it encompassed all the rest of the things he'd said to her, "I place myself at your feet."

* * *

Cassie stood at Ella's door wondering if she should know or just walk in and finally decided on the later. When she opened the door, she found Malachi and Ella asleep in each other's arms. The look of shock on her face would have been funny if anyone had scene it. Well, he wasn't dead and she didn't appear to be in any position to kill him, so Cassie quietly closed the door and went back to Azazeal. 

Cassie rolled her eyes at Azazeal's proud grin.

"You would be proud of him for this, wouldn't you?"

"Come on, it's perfect and she will no longer be able to raise her hand against him," he was clearly in favor of this development. So much so that he gathered her up in his arms and took her to bed. He never seemed to have made up for the inconvenient period of abstinence when Cassie was pregnant with Sara.

* * *

Not knowing what else to do, Elizabeth got Lucifer up, took him to her bedroom, and put him in her bed. She hadn't had any intention of making love to him when she brought him there, but somehow she couldn't resist being that close to him right now. He responded to her artlessly, not having anything left to keep from her, and they all "heard" the moan that escaped from him when she took him inside her for the first time in weeks. 


	18. Chapter 18

"You know what they say: The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Cassie said.

"I cannot believe that you just said that," Elizabeth said and they both burst out laughing, as Elizabeth gathered her things. She gave Cassie a big hug and turned to go to Lucifer who was waiting for her up front with Azazeal.

* * *

The next afternoon after reconciling with Lucifer, Elizabeth had come to see Cassie and they had spent the rest of day together discussing the new developments in their lives. Both girls were in particularly good spirits and their conversation showed their good mood. 

As soon as, Elizabeth had come in, Cassie immediately asked her what happened the night before, although she knew perfectly well what had ultimately happened, because the angels had dutifully reported what they had heard last night.

Elizabeth explained in detail and Cassie said with mock surprise, "Really, 'cause I get that all the time." Cassie had also begun her study of angelic because Fariel's gift had faded away and Elizabeth had practically insisted.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes her but then laughed.

"Well," Cassie admitted, "not quite like that but…"

"Oh, believe me, now he's in trouble for holding out on me," Elizabeth said, trying to pretend to be angry, "We should have compared notes sooner."

"You're horrible!"

Elizabeth just smiled and then after thinking to herself, quietly said, "I couldn't be angry at him for that." Then added more happily, "Besides considering some of the things he'd already expressed to me in bed, I don't think I would have guessed that there was more."

Elizabeth got up and sat down on the floor to play a little with Sara who was involved in some sort of Fisher Price contraption. Sara giggled in delight to have a partner in her little adventure and Cassie watched them for a while.

In a more serious tone, Cassie asked, "So what's going to happen between you two?"

Elizabeth got up and cheerfully announced, "Oh, I've sentenced him to community service," as she flopped down on the couch and laughed at her own joke.

"Huh?"

"We're going to go help those people somehow and stabilize the situation there if we can and maybe some other places, haven't worked out the details yet."

"You can do that?"

"Well, he can, yes. You know, I've sort of been a little dumb about this whole thing. It turns out that his influence and power can just as easily be used for good, it's just that left on his own, evil's just plain more interesting and has the added benefit of making God mad."

"Interesting, that's not the resolution that I expected."

"It's not what I expected either but I've always been more of a proponent for fixing your mistakes rather than just paying for them. When it dawned on me to ask him, he just looked at me like, "Well, of course I can do that."

"How silly of you to overlook it!" Cassie teased.

"Yeah, well, I can't think of everything."

"And you know," Elizabeth continued, "looking back on it I think that after our big trip, he was kind of restless after having had so much to do, that he didn't know what to do with himself when we went back to our normal life. That's my fault. I mean, I hardly ever ask for anything and for our whole trip I was entirely dependent on him. You know, I'm almost certain that for that whole time he didn't do anything that wasn't related to us."

Cassie smiled, "You still haven't told me about all that you guys did."

"Oh, yeah, okay, but first you have to tell me why Malachi looked so guilty and Azazeal looked so smug earlier when they left."

Cassie looked little uncomfortable and laughed in embarrassment.

"You'll never guess what I saw last night," and she sort of shook her head in disbelief."

"What?" Elizabeth was now very interested.

"So, after I came home from your place, Azazeal told me that Malachi had been out all day and hadn't come home, so I freaked out," and here she stopped and make a face like can-you-blame-me, "I went to see Ella, because Azazael thought she might be involved and…"

"And what?"

Cassie made a face like she had to take some bad-tasting medicine and said quickly, "He and Ella were in bed together."

"Ha, it's about time."

"Not you too!"

"Cassie, they've been attracted to each other for a while now. I saw it. Well, anyway, so don't tell me you've sent Azazeal to have a heart to heart with them."

Cassie looked guilty.

"Oh no, you didn't!!!"

"Well, not really, but I just couldn't deal with it and he's so proud of Malachi for catching Ella…He's gone to figure out where we all stand now."

Elizabeth was in stitches.

"But the best part," Cassie continued, starting to laugh as she said this, "was that when Malachi came home this morning, we were up waiting for him and he thought we'd be angry…but we both couldn't contain ourselves, so just before he was about to tell us the excuse he'd come up with we burst out laughing. He was so confused. The look on his face was priceless and then once we explained that we knew where he'd been, he was mortified."

"Poor guy! I wonder how it came about."

"He didn't say."

"Hm, well hopefully, we won't have to worry about Ella anymore."

"I agree, now tell me about your trip."

"We went everywhere," Elizabeth enthused, "London, Paris, Tokyo, all over Italy, Argentina (my grandfather was from there)…um…Mount Everest."

"Really?"

"Well, actually just base camp. I was not about to pop up there just like that. Too weird. And you know what was really funny, was that before we left, when I asked what I should bring along, he just laughed at me."

"What did you do for cloths and stuff?"

"I ashamed to say it but… since we always had some hotel that we used as a starting point…I would buy things where ever I was and then when I had too much, I would ship some home. Instant new wardrobe."

"That's not like you!"

"I know but it was so fun," Elizabeth giggled guiltily.

"Oh and before I forget, I have something you've got to try," Elizabeth continued in a tone that let Cassie know she was about to be shocked.

"Uh oh!"

"Okay, so, you know how they can appear to just you or some people but not everyone?"

"Yes," Cassie replied cautiously.

"Well, apparently, they can do the same to you which is very useful when you have the urge for certain public displays of affection…"

"You didn't!!!"

"More than once!" She announced proudly.

Elizabeth, at Cassie's insistence, then proceeded to describe each place they had gone in as great a detail as she could remember.

* * *

That morning when Lucifer had woken up he immediately turned to look at Elizabeth who was still sleeping. After some reflection he thought to himself that he didn't feel like he loved or desired her any more than yesterday, but he decided that he was pleased that this was the case, because it meant that he had already loved and desired her as much as he could all along. What he did find was that he felt certain calmness and the restlessness that he normal felt just wasn't there. He continued to watch her as she slowly woke up. Eventually, she opened her eyes, saw him, and smiled. 

Just then a strange sensation came over him, like a shiver down his spine, and he realized that she had just thought his real name at him.

"How did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"You just said my name."

"Yeah so."

"But you just my real name."

She thought back, because she had meant to greet him with that thought…and then when she found it in her memory she realized that she hadn't said "Lucifer" like she had assumed.

"I don't know where that came from but I know it now."

She thought it again and said, "I couldn't possibly pronounce that," with a smile.

"That's how I keep it a secret," he said conspiratorially, " but I like hearing it when you say it."

"It must have come to me last night."

"Must have," he said pressing closer to her. She kissed him, but then jumped up with sudden energy and wanted to get going. Despite her efforts to get ready for the day, it turned out that the shower was an excellent place for a number of amorous activities that she'd always wanted to try.

After breakfast she and Lucifer talked all morning long. Elizabeth then said that she wanted to see Cassie so Lucifer took her there. He had some business to take care of, so he told her to let him know when she wanted to leave.

* * *

Upon seeing Lucifer and Azazeal, Elizabeth knew right away that Lucifer had been up to something today and that he'd just told Azazeal. She could just tell by the looks on their faces that they were keeping something from her but that it was a good thing. They just couldn't keep themselves from sneaking around and keeping secrets, but she was glad that for once it appeared to be harmless. 

When they got home, Elizabeth immediately asked, "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing," he replied, with a happy but guilty look on his face.

"I'll get it out of you," she said moving closer to tease his mouth with her lips.

"I'm looking forward to it," he smiled.

"Oh come on, just tell me," she said, knowing that he was just playing.

"Well, I'll feel a little embarrassed, but…"

"What?"

"I got you a gift."

"Ah, then it must be good because embarrassment always comes when you've gotten someone something perfect for them."

"Really?"

"Yup," she said with her arms still wrapped around him.

When he told her what it was, her eyes lit up like it was Christmas and she jump up into his arms.

"You're serious? 'Cause if you're not…" And she laughed in giddy excitement.

He had obtained for her, her favorite racehorse, Lava Man, who hadn't been for sale. Now, she wasn't entirely sure that she was completely comfortable with some of the things that went on in the sport but she loved horses so much she couldn't help watching. She'd falling in love with Lava Man, a 6-year-old gelding, when she had found out that he had started out as a lowly claimer before rising to stardom as a stakes horse. She was mostly excited, however that she would be able to give him a good home once his career ended, because he was never going to be able to go to a breeding barn. Thus, her obsession eventually turned into a new career, but for tonight she let Lucifer take her to their bedroom where he made such gentle love to her that she almost cried.


	19. Chapter 19

"What's the verdict?" Cassie asked Azazeal when he returned from his discussion with Ella and Malachi.

"Well, he challenged her to a fight to find out who was stronger…and somehow they ended up in bed." He looked appreciative of Malachi's method. They had not told him about the wager.

"Who won?" Cassie asked

"It appears that they are still deciding that question." he smiled and suggestively added, "But I don't think they'll ever get around to finding out.

"So they're in love then?"

"I don't know about love but they are connected, always were, so I have a feeling that their bond will increase," he said mysteriously.

Moving close to him she asked, "I wonder how you will feel when our precious Sara starts dating."

He just laughed and said overconfidently, "There will be no reason for me to worry about her."

"Well, we'll see how you feel when the boys start coming around for her," she teased and he leaned down to kiss her.

"You know, I just realized today that I haven't left this town in a long time. How come you get to go gallivanting around and I just stay here?" she said playfully.

"Why would you want to leave?" And he kissed her again, obviously distracted by her lips and not really listening.

"I don't want to leave, I just thought it would be nice…to get away and…take a break from all…this." But she now was also distracted and she forgot her point, for the time being.

* * *

After a few days, all seemed to return more-or-less to normal. Elizabeth told Cassie that Lucifer was by no means a push over, but he was changed. Outwardly, Lucifer did not appear to change at all because, like Azazeal, there were certain parts of his personally that would always be the same. Cassie however noticed some subtle changes, small signs of respect, towards Elizabeth that evidenced the difference that Elizabeth had told her about. The main thing that she noticed was that his politeness towards her, for lack of a better term, had become more pronounced. Now Elizabeth never touched a door handle of any kind when he was around and he had a cute way of walking just a half-step behind her in a protective and yet deferential way. He also had a pet name for her, _naneel_, which when he once let slip, caused all of the angels to hush and look at them. He, of course, stared them all down, daring them to say anything. Cassie had asked Elizabeth what it meant but she had only replied with a laugh that she didn't know and didn't want to know.

Elizabeth told her, with a grin that was by far too pleased, that there was still some "negotiating" that took place between them but she appeared to be satisfied with whatever changes had taken place. Elizabeth was unaware, of course, that sometimes Lucifer resisted her more than he needed to, because he knew she'd begun to enjoy the sensual aspect of the game he had been playing. And besides, it gave him a sense of wicked pleasure to be forced into the surrender that he knew he would have given her anyway.

He knew that she had realized, as he had, that when he used come to her taunting and teasing her with a recounting of the day's wicked deeds, when he had laughed at her horror and dared her to punish him, when he had sought the pain and then surrendered his body to it...he was seeking forgiveness. In his mind he'd been abandoned by heaven, but not punished. Abandoned and never forgiven when he would have endured anything in order to be forgiven. Elizabeth had applied her human view to him and when he repented, she forgave him. Unfortunatly, he was unstable and he had been repeating the process over and over again.

Elizabeth wasn't ready to comprehend the rest so he left her current understanding of him as it was.

* * *

Lucifer and Azazeal had been hatching a nasty little plan related to skimming some money off of some big international crime organization when Azazeal ask him a question he'd been meaning to ask for a few days.

"Lucifer," Azazeal said, anticipating with delight the notion that he might have something to annoy him with, "Why exactly is Ella not a succubus?" Even though it was apparently unnecessary for her to be enthralled with Malachi, Azazeal was irritated that Lucifer's plan had failed.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps the circumstances were not ideal."

"So, you're not going to admit that you were wrong." Azazeal challenged.

"Why would I possible do that?" Lucifer responded with a mix of amusement and irritation. The two stared each other down for a moment and then Lucifer raising his voice to Ella who had been sitting with Malachi just out of ear shot, "Ella, dear, I really must thank you for bedding our little anti-Christ. I really think he needed it."

"Glad I could help," she responded sarcastically as Malachi stood and walked over to them.

"Why do you do that?" Malachi asked so only they could hear, but he was very annoyed.

"Who me? She's just so serious all the time, Malachi, you should get her to loosen up. But I must applaud you too, getting her into bed, what a brilliant plan…I should have though of it," he said smoothly.

"She's not just a plaything, Lucifer."

"Of course not, my boy, of course not. She's perfect for you, she'll push your abilities. And someone with your inheritance couldn't possibly be satisfied with a normal woman."

"But you certainly are." Malachi quickly shot back, now full of swagger.

"Careful, little one, that woman refer to could tear you apart."

"Really, I'd pick Ella over her in a fight any day."

"Malachi," Azazeal interjected.

"No, no, it's fine, perhaps we'll wager on it if the opportunity arises."

* * *

About an hour later, the three boys were still in the alter area while Cassie, Elizabeth and Ella had gravitated towards the front of the church with Sara merrily playing in their midst.

Suddenly, Raphael appeared, grabbing and lifting Ella up by the arm, and pulling her against him, "You belong to me!" he hissed.

Ella became immediately frightened but wondered to herself why she could stand up to Azazael and even Lucifer, but Raphael always disconcerted her.

Lucifer, Azazeal, and Malachi rose in unison at the other end of the church but before they could act, Elizabeth, in her typical way, walked right up to Raphael and said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Ella, here, has a job to do and she's lost her focus, haven't you, Ella?" he said in his little French accent.

"Ella, does not belong anybody, least of all you?" Elizabeth retorted. And then she swore at him in French, her major in college, and added a little something in angelic at the end that brought a snicker from the boys.

Cassie turned to look at them, wondering why they weren't doing anything. Lucifer was noticeably tense, Malachi was worried, only Azazeal was calm and seemed unconcerned. Elizabeth, however, knew that their proximity was unimportant and that if it had been one of them that confronted Raphael it was almost guaranteed that there would be a fight.

Straightening and trying to become more official he said, "God has given her a mission to complete," he said but he was looking at her covetously.

"Raphael, there is nothing left for her to do here, you know this. Let her alone." Elizabeth said, and then more gently. "Go home," she added. And she said the word 'home' in a way that shot right through him and caused him to yearn to be there.

"The Lord will not be happy," he said, using this statement as a protest even though it was not really true.

"Then have him see me about it," she said with a kind smile, trying to encourage him to go.

* * *

After he'd left them, Ella thanked her and asked, "How did you do that?"

"I told him that he was just another horny angel that was ready to fall and he should just get on with it already. I think all of this was getting to him a little, so I just reminded him of what he would be giving up."

"I'm impressed!"

"Thank you!"

"I just don't understand why I was unable to fight him myself. He has always made me weak."

But none of the girls could come up with the answer, most likely because it was simplest answer: her power came from the same place as his.

* * *

As the ladies returned to more pleasant conversation, it took them a little while to realize that Malachi, Azazeal, and Lucifer were now engaged in a heated debate, which evaporated quickly when they were approached.

Lucifer had determined that he had won the little bet that he and Malachi had so recently discussed, while Malachi insisted that what had happened with Raphael proved nothing and that since the terms had not been set, they could not name the price now anyway, so they should abandon the whole thing. Lucifer was quick to point out that he had not specified a physical fight, but Malachi would not concede.

"Tricky, tricky, Malachi but just because Ella does not enforce the terms of your wager with her, does not mean that you will be able to convince me," Lucifer teased.

"Perhaps, we should just forget it." Azazeal said, "As much fun as it would be," he admitted with a smile, "I can't image them taking kindly to this idea."

"Oh, you're just bitter because, Cassie doesn't figure into this…but on second thought, she could make this more interesting," Lucifer said, meeting Azazeal's glare with an arrogant smile.

Then the three of them turned to see Cassie, Ella, and Elizabeth looking at them questioningly.

"What's going on over here?" Cassie asked, suspicious but used to this kind of mischievousness.

For a moment, none of them responded, each looking at their mate as innocently as possible, which immediately let all three girls know that something was up. But it was Ella who saw a glimmer of the truth in Malachi's face, probably because of his recent attempt get out of the bet with her.

"I think there's some sort of wager between them and by the looks on their faces, it has to do with us."

"Unbelievable," Elizabeth said but of the three of them she was the least surprised or angry.

"Alright, one of you spill it," Cassie insisted, but none of them were willing. They all appeared amused at being caught but not regretful and keeping the secret was still more fun.

Finally, Lucifer could no longer contain his amusement.

"We," gesturing at all three of them, "were discussing which one of you fine women…would win in a fight."

"Unbelievable," Cassie said, joining Elizabeth in her state of annoyance

"Hey, don't lump me in with you two," Azazeal said to Lucifer trying to suppress a smile, because Elizabeth versus Ella would have been a sight to see, "I was not the one who started this."

"Malachi!" Cassie now turned her attention to her son, who she knew caused all sorts of trouble without thinking about it.

"What? He was teasing me about Ella so I merely suggested how entertaining it was that Elizabeth was a mere mortal while Ella…is something more."

"Well, well, prideful as ever, I see." Elizabeth said, smiling at Lucifer who just shrugged back.

"Ella would win, I'm sure," Elizabeth said, turning to smile at Ella but Cassie could see from Ella's expression that Elizabeth's eyes told her differently, but Ella did not feel threatened.

"I have no skills for fighting," Elizabeth continued mildly, "nor any magical powers," gesturing towards Cassie, "I don't see why there's a discussion." She looked at Malachi and he could see in her eyes that, while she was telling the truth and firmly believed that Ella and Cassie possessed more power than she, Lucifer was somehow right about her.

The subject was subsequently dropped but continued to remain a running joke between them all, which was more of a reprieve then the boys had originally hoped for.


	20. Chapter 20

When Elizabeth had discovered that Cassie's birthday was approaching, she made them all agree to come to her house for dinner to celebrate the day. So it was settled that the three couples would meet at her house in the late afternoon for a little party. Sara however needed a baby sitter for the evening and after much debate it was decided that Ardousius and Haniel…and Araqiel and Ramiel would stay with her while all others would need to find another haunt for the evening.

* * *

Early in on the morning of her birthday, Cassie woke up and looked over at Azazael, who still had his eyes closed, and smiled before moving to get up. Just as the last covers were slipping off of her body, she felt firm hand grab her waist and pull her back into bed. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Azazeal said in a raspy voice as he pulled her close.

"Good Morning," she said after they smiled at each other for a few minutes.

"Morning," he said and his smiled widened, "Happy Birthday!"

Cassie made a funny face and Azazael said, "What?"

"It's just weird to hear you say that, that's all? Too normal."

"I am normal," he insisted playfully.

"Well, yes, sometimes you are endearingly and annoying like a regular man but….you know I love you and love my work with the angels, but…my best friend is Lucifer's girlfriend and our little girl makes her toys move with her mind. Normal is not a word I would use to describe my life."

"Why would you possibly want to be just like everyone else?" he said, wonderfully unphased by her remarks.

"You're right…I don't know," she said.

"Cassie, you should accept the extra things that are added to your life because of me and learn from them. And let yourself appreciate the human things that are natural to you more instead of letting them make you uncomfortable."

She smiled back at him impressed, "And where did this wisdom come from?"

"From you," he replied.

Pressing closer to him, she said, "Thank you! And she thought to herself that she had never thought of him as feeling out of place with her due his angelic nature as she had sometimes felt being a human among angels. He had, she realized, until more recently, kept his displays of power in her presence to a minimum, in sharp contast to the flamboyant Lucifer and the other angels who saw little reason not to be just as they were around her. She now regretted giving him such a hard time the few times he'd tried to teach her how to expand her powers. She should have followed Elizabeth's example, and even Ella's, in their acceptance of what life was like with these strange beings. Both of them had the ability to move seamlessly from the most supernatural experience right into a completely human situation. She'd have to work on that…and her powers.

* * *

Later that morning, when Azazeal finally released her, Cassie found Lucifer sitting in the front room reading the newspaper, Cassie asked, "What are you doing here?" 

"I've been banished," he said with a quick smile and continued to read his paper.

"Get in her way, did you?"

He lowered the paper and licking his lips suggestively said, "More than once."

"Too much information, way too early in the day," Cassie said with a good-natured look of disgust on her face.

"You, my dear, are not eligible to cast the first stone today, as you well know," he said retuning to his reading. She wondered how he always knew the strangest and most inappropriate things.

Elizabeth had risen early to get started on the preparations for the party. She had started with a little yoga to get her going, only to be snatched up mid-pose and taken giggling back into the bedroom. It wasn't this that had gotten him kicked out, so much as it was the amount of time he'd spent tormenting her. She'd probably have found a reason to get rid of him anyway (she worked quicker alone) and while she wouldn't have said the time she's spent captivated by his touch was wasted, she did now feel a little behind on her plans for the day.

* * *

In the afternoon, when Haniel reported for babysitting duty, Cassie noticed that Lucifer went over to her and the two spent a few moments looking at each other, his hand on her shoulder. Later when she'd ask him about it, because she was aware of what Haniel had experienced when she'd seen him last, he said typically, "Nothing appropriate for your innocent little ears." But she'd seen Haniel's smile after their exchange and thought he must have issued some sort of apology. 

Earlier, she'd also noticed that for about a half an hour, Sara had claimed Lucifer as a new playmate, as she often did to unsuspecting angels, and rather than trying to extricate himself, he'd seemed happy to oblige and naturally good at keeping her wandering attention. Granted, he'd now taught her how to move more than one object at a time with her little mind because he could see how annoyed she was that she could only manage three toys at a time (one in each hand and one with her mind). But Cassie had given up trying to limit the things Sara was taught behind her back. She'd be more than a little girl in no time.

* * *

When Cassie and the rest of them finally arrived at Elizabeth's house, they were greeted with the wonderful smell of home cooked food from the kitchen. Elizabeth simply loved to cook and she couldn't think of anything better than having a small dinner parting on a warm California evening for her best friend's birthday. She came out of the kitchen to say hello and Cassie immediately hugged and thanked her. 

"You haven't even tasted anything yet." Elizabeth laughed.

As Azazeal, Lucifer, Ella, and Malachi made themselves at home and chatted in the living room, Cassie cornered Elizabeth in the kitchen under the pretense of wanting to get a glass of wine.

"Are you two going to have a baby?"

"What, were did that come from?"

"Well, you're back together…um he's a boy, you're a girl."

"You're not making any sense."

"You should have seen him today, he was so cute with Sara. You know how she likes to have new playmates, and he just…"

"Yes, we've talked about it." Elizabeth admitted a little embarrassed.

"Really!"

"Why are you so excited?"

"I don't know, why aren't you?"

"Well, I actually never intended on having children, never thought I'd find a guy that I'd care about enough. But it's a strange desire and I actually teased him so much about not having his 'devil child' that I don't think he really believes me anyway."

"I knew one of these days you'd pay for all your teasing."

And they opened some wine and re-joined the group, but Elizabeth was still thinking about what Cassie had said about a baby and how Lucifer had been with Sara.

* * *

A little later, when Elizabeth went to check on something in the kitchen she was approached by Malachi and she was beginning to wonder who would be next. 

"Hey!"

"Hey, Malachi, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Do you need anything?"

"Nope," he said but he moved closer and seemed to want to say something.

"Are you flirting with me?" She said to shock him and because she had noticed that he'd being paying more attention to her since the night of the infamous bet.

He smiled with more confidence that someone of his age should have, "If it were safe, I probably would, but I do have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Lucifer said that you could tear me apart."

"Ah, is that what started the betting frenzy?"

"Yes," he said surprised and how quickly she made the connection, "And I had thought he meant, you know, in a fight, but I don't think that's what he meant."

"Like I said, I'm not a fighter, but I do have a vicious temper," she smiled.

"I have to know…why." He'd been obsessed with it since that day, the thought that he wouldn't be able to handle her, because he was to young and full of himself to accept that there was anything that was too much for him.

"You're so young, Malachi. I know I'm only a few years older than your mother and than you look, but the difference is I've lived all of those years and you haven't. That's why you and Ella are so perfect for each other. So much knowledge, but not lot of experience in real life. Besides, I've become a little bitter over the years about being so different from everyone else and I didn't handle it as well as your mother."

"I still don't see the problem," he insisted. "I'd be willing to learn," he added smugly.

"Okay," she started and then lowered her voice to be suggestively intimidating, "Could you make me believe that you loved me enough so that I don't feel the deep-seated need to run you ragged to prove it to myself?…Could you deal with my independence without feeling the least bit pushed away, which is far more irritating than cute?…Could you look in my eyes as you came for me so that I could see the pleasure destroy you?" She was now too close for comfort now but really not very close at all.

"Um, I guess not," Malachi laughed as casually as he could.

She reached over and kissed him on the cheek, "Ella's your girl, Malachi. She has plenty of challenges for you."

* * *

When they all sat down to a pleasantly "normal" dinner it would have been hard for an outside observer to notice that these were not regular people. Mid-way through Cassie smiled to herself at all of this normalcy and allowed herself to appreciate it and enjoy it. 

After dinner Elizabeth sent them all out to the backyard patio to smoke and continue their conversation while she straightened up a little and put desert together. Lucifer, feeling neglected, slipped away and came up behind her as she was putting the leftovers away. He put his arms around her waist and his lips to her ear.

"Just wait 'til I get you alone, again," he rumbled and began to play with her ear with his tongue.

"Mmm, you're insatiable," she replied leaning back against him.

Then in a pleading voice he said, "Make them go," as if she was the only one who could make that happen.

"They're our guests," she replied with fake surprise that he would suggest such a thing.

Outside, Ella and Malachi announced that they wanted to take a walk and got up to leave. As Cassie turned back to Azazeal after watching them go, she saw Lucifer and Elizabeth through the kitchen window and smiled.

Azazeal finished a cigarette and said, "Come here," it that low bedroom voice of his.

Cassie walked over to him and sat astride his lap, her knees on either side of him in the big chair where he sat.

He said, "When Sara's old enough, why don't we get away and spend some time alone?"

Her eyes glittered, "That's sounds perfect," and she kissed him sensuously.

Ella and Malachi had not made it past the side yard before they were locked together and spent a few minutes kissing enthusiastically. When they came up for air and decided to return to the back yard, they found Cassie and Azazeal oblivious to their surroundings, pressed together and kissing passionately. Then Ella tugged on Malachi's arm and pointed to the kitchen window where you could see that Lucifer had Elizabeth precariously placed on the edge of the sink and was proceeding to ensure that there would be no desert and that the dishes would not be done until morning. They looked at each other, shrugged, and returned to the side yard to continue where they'd left off.


	21. Chapter 21

Early the next morning, Elizabeth crept quietly out of their room and to her delight saw that the door to the guest room was closed. She then walked down the hall and was further elated to find Ella and Malachi curled up together on her couch. She then returned to Lucifer who was now sleeping peacefully again after having announced before she'd left that he was not a sex toy.

A few minutes later, when Cassie and Elizabeth met unexpectedly in the kitchen each had a sort of self-satisfied expression on her face and each immediately knew that they had both done something noteworthy since they had last seen each other. Elizabeth made pot of coffee and, since the others appeared to be conveniently absent, the two of them escaped to the backyard to reveal their secrets…

* * *

As Cassie and Azazeal continued to lose themselves in each other's kiss the night before on the patio chair, it slowly began to rise and float about two feet off of the ground. When they finally let each other go, Cassie was the first to realize what had happened and they immediately began to fall. They did not crash down, however, but were slowed down and eventually gently place back on the ground. Azazeal looked at her with a smirk and said, "That was you by the way."

"Really!"

"Well, I made sure we didn't crash down when you lost your focus, but yes, that was you."

She looked at him with a pleased look on her face. She then began to pick up things one at a time and have them float over to them and then place them, generally, back where they had come from, as Azazeal chuckled in amusement. Then in the middle her floating display a flower came between them that must have been picked from the garden where they sat. Cassie smiled lovingly at him and plucked it out of the air.

"Thank you!" She said and while she was struggling with the down right cuteness of it, she insisted to herself that it was exactly what she would have expected from any guy, just a little different.

"How come you can fly and travel like you do even though you don't have wings anymore?" she asked.

He smiled a little at the unexpected question, but answered, "The wings were more symbolic. They allowed us to reach heaven."

"What else can you do?" she asked, interested.

"All sorts of things," he said, giving her the sense that not only where there many things, but that they were some much a part of him that he may not be able to separate all of them from everyday human actions.

"And you can teach me to do these things too?"

"Some of them, yes."

"Let's go to the beach, it must be beautiful."

"Now?"

"Yes, let's go," and she stood and pulled him up. She held his hand and they winked out.

It was only slightly cooler at the beach than it was at Elizabeth's house a few miles away. The large moon was reflecting brightly in the water and a light breeze was coming of ocean. Cassie smiled widely and said, "Come on!" and she lead him closer to the where the waves crashed on the sand.

She looked in to his eyes for some time and then said, "Show me something."

"Like what?"

"Something fun."

"Well, you could learn bring things to you that are out of sight."

"Funner."

"You never bothered to learn how to shield yourself."

"Nope, funner."

"You can sort of fly too you know, well, more like float."

"Mmm, that has possibilities."

"I don't need to teach you that, you just need to apply what you already know how to do to yourself."

Cassie immediately gave it a try and floated back away from him a few feet. He moved to follow her but when he got close, she moved sideways, playfully.

"Oh, this is fun," she said to annoy him, but when she did it again, he appeared behind her and grabbed her. She laughed and turned to kiss him.

As they kissed, she gently tugged upwards against his grasp. He took the hint and lifted them up together. She happily continued to kiss him, but when she stopped and looked at where they were, she drew in a sharp breath. They were now floating over the crashing waves several feet from shore. Azazeal teased her, "You're so easily shocked."

Deciding to take this as a challenge, she pressed against him seductively and gave him a wicked look. She reached up to tease his lips and then at first tentatively and then more strongly pushed them horizontal in the air. It felt wonderfully natural to be floating suspended in the air this way and the lovely surroundings that made it all the more exciting. She allowed herself to be delighted with this titillating situation and began to unbutton his shirt. He did not protest in the slightest and proceeded to loosen her clothing so that he could run his hands under her cloths and over her naked skin. She opened more of his clothing as she enjoyed his caresses and was pleasantly surprised at how sensual it felt. The intrusion of his hands under her clothes made his touch feel more deliciously forbidden than if she had been completely naked.

Any thought that she might have entertained that they might come crashing down in to the water left her when he found that place between her legs with his searching fingers and she shuddered. Not wanting to give in so easily, she reached for him and he responded instantly to her touch. They mischievously battled on like this for sometime oblivious to their surroundings. Neither of them knew which way was up or down, but as they made love, Cassie felt the spray of the water, the rumble as the waves crashed strongly on the shore, and at one point, the soft sand dragging gently along her back.

When she was ready for release she kissed him deeply and sent to him simple angelic words of love that she had learned from Elizabeth. He shuddered and managed to return a controlled response of the same only less elementary. She tried a more complex declaration and at this he shuddered again and responded more intensely, if a little more wildly, as they continued to bring each other closer to release. There was one more phrase that she wanted to try that Elizabeth had hinted would cause quite a reaction, but she figured what the hell. She carefully pronounced the words in her head and before she was done, she could feel him losing his control. As soon as the last word was finished, he released such a torrent of love and devotion that they both writhed in ecstasy for longer than seemed possible. When they came to, they were nestled together on the still warm sand. He looked at her, kissed her forehead, and suddenly they were in Elizabeth's guest room…on the bed. She gave him a little smile that said that she was quite impressed by the accuracy of this move (She'd have to note that for future reference). They then peeled off their mostly undone clothes and pressed together to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

As Elizabeth and Lucifer had talked in bed that morning, before knowing if their guests had stayed or gone back home, Lucifer had suddenly asked, "What did the boy want?" with just a hint of jealously.

"Ah, what you said about me bothered him and he wanted to know why it was he couldn't be with me."

He began to run his hand possessively over her back and he said angrily, "The nerve."

"Hey, he's just a boy, you wouldn't understand, young people believe they can do anything. And he's as arrogant as his father. Tell him he can't and he'll definitely try it."

"And what did you tell him?" he asked, less angry but still annoyed.

She shifted, pressed herself completely against his side, and slipped a smooth leg up his well-muscled one.

"I told him a few things that I required and he was quick to admit that he couldn't provide them."

"Really?" he said pleased.

"But he was interested in learning," she added, not being able to let him off the hook that easily.

He dexterously rolled on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head in such a quick and fluid motion that she took a second to appreciate the exciting thrill of it.

"And what was it you told him you required?"

"I'll never tell," she said with a naughty smile, as he allowed her to extricate a wrist from his grip. She ran her one free hand down his body and found the hard place she was looking for. The rest of his body softened and relaxed as she touched him.

"Last night, Cassie thought I might be pregnant."

"Mm," was the only response she received.

"She seemed to think that your attentions to Sara yesterday meant that you were scheming to have a child of your own."

After a pause, he said quietly, "I can't think straight when you're doing that," but he didn't stop rubbing against her hand.

"Would you give me a child?"

"Anything," he whispered as his arms weakened and he dropped closer to her and kissed her neck. She was in a mood, he could tell, where she would toy with him like a cat plays with its prey before devouring it. There was nothing he could do, just as there was nothing she could do when he seduced her using his angelic charms. In this situation, the choice for him was simple: give her what she wanted and hope she didn't make him suffer for too long…or hold what she wanted hostage until she ripped it from him. Both courses had their appeal though he rarely needed to be forced to obey her anymore. He let her force him now so that she would know her power over him.

"But we shouldn't decide it this way," Elizabeth said, realizing the position that she'd put him in. She didn't to use the sexual sway she held over him to make this decision.

"I'm already yours," he breathed, gently pressing forward to ask to enter her, "You cannot take from me what already belongs to you."

She thought about this as she let him go and shifted to take him inside her.

"Then why…?"

He spoke over her and was so distracted now that this may have been information that he wouldn't have shared under normal circumstances, "When you desire a child, my body will respond to you…I have felt it pull at me already."

And she realized that this must have been why, despite their sometimes serious and sometimes playful conversations, he had taken no position on the subject.

Notwithstanding their conversation, neither of them had really expected it to happen that very morning, but knowing that she could have a living piece of both of them and that he waited only for her command, somehow opened her to the prospect in a way that all of her private reflections had not. She did not toy with him but skillfully guided them both towards ecstasy and then allowed her moans of pleasure to gently but firmly pushed him over the edge.

Lucifer loved the way her body reacted uncontrollably when pleasure overtook her and it never failed to intensify his desire. He followed her to climax and felt himself flow into her in a particularly intimate and profound way but didn't have the capacity to be shocked by the unexpectedness of it. He was so completely lost in the intense sensation that when he was violently thrust into that place where he went when he worshipped her, there came from him such a confusion of angelic words that they didn't make sense together. As he stumbled all over himself to express surrender to her, to please her, to adore her, he tried to become more coherent but could not. Then when he heard her say his name, the words and overwhelming need to express these feelings stopped and he felt her calm presence there with him.

He then allowed himself to feel how complete her control over him had become in these moments. In everyday life it was just a decadent thought, as when you are among friends and you smile at the thought of some kinky thing you've done that you would never tell them about. In this moment, the control was in its purest form, control over his entire being. It was a harsh reality, made all the more exciting by the fact that he'd put himself here and did not want to leave. How she would learn to weld the control he'd given her, he did not know, but one in his position did not need to understand. He only needed to obey. He'd known for sometime that anything she really wanted he would have done without hesitation and he liked to think that any freedom he had in his actions was just an illusion. She had realized this and was very careful about how she asked for things from him, understanding his thoughts but not totally understanding the motivation behind them. This dissappointed him a little but she was not ready to fully understand him and so he waited.

He knew that he could not stay here, in this place where her control was so complete, because she needed him too, and their traditional relationship had to be maintained for now. It was not unenjoyable, simply being her lover, it was just not as intense. So, he would always push the boundaries and test her patience to cause her to remind him of her dominance. Besides, feeling her exert control over his physical body had its dirty pleasure and never failed to bring him to his mental knees.

When he came back out of his haze, he turned to her and said with a cocky smile, "You're an evil, evil creature."

"I know, honey," she said condescendingly.

"Oh, I'll get you back, don't you worry, sweetness," he replied, returning to the position of equal which, while he enjoyed thinking of as a pretense, was a necessary part of their relationship. She was after all human.

"Really, woman, it's morning, noon, and night, with you. I am not your personal sex toy," he teased.

"Of course you are," she said and then she kissed him. As she did, he wrapped his arms around her and she could feel him softly giving in again, insistently projecting the sense that his body existed only for her. But when the kiss ended he growled, "We'll just see who is whose sex toy," before letting her go. She'd have to be careful with him today, she thought to herself as she went to off to see if Ella, Malachi, Cassie, and Azazael were still there. This was one of those days when he was weakest for her and could reveal too much to others in his desire to please her.

* * *

Despite appearing to ignore what had happened, she was acutely aware of how he felt about her. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, but the part of her that made her the best suited for this relationship knew that his immense power had to be restricted in this way. He had to love her and want to please her so that he would submit to her control. And he had to feel controlled or he would rebel like a child whose parents don't pay him enough attention. Since he had no real conscience, she was responsible for keeping his destructive activities to a minimum, the rest was just mischief. The fact that his power had never really been meant to be welded at his own discretion allowed him to be completely comfortable with the role he'd given her. That he sometimes reveled in his weakness for her was something that she had not expected but guilty enjoyed because she had her own issues that his affection had made disappear. But she could never really put her finger on why he enjoyed it so much. Why would a being of such immeasurable power be so happy to put her in charge of all of it?

Outside of these private experiences with him, she never allowed herself to think of him as being hers in the way that he so clearly professed that he was, because she understood better than he could possibly, how easy it would be for her to become corrupted. She also knew that she wasn't strong enough and couldn't possibly have enough time to monitor him or think of enough tasks to keep him entirely on the side of good. So she did her best to keep him balanced between the evil and the good and to keep him happy, because she loved him too.

He did understand these things, she was sure, because he'd become more careful about how he pressed the limits of her capabilities since the she had taken him back. He also did a very good job of being the confident, if self-important, man that was capable of assuring her of his love and acceptance of her independent ways, while making her feel protected, cared for, and normal. They always projected this aspect of their relationship among their friends and acted as the couple they all expected: dynamic and unpredictable. And actually most of the time theirs was a, relatively, normal relationship which she knew she needed, not only as a human woman but also as a counter-balance to his devotion.


	22. Chapter 22

In her spare time, Elizabeth had taken to visiting with Cassie as she worked with the angels that still needed help. They were much more friendly with Cassie than they were with Elizabeth, but they did not show the distrust that they had originally had towards Ella. Cassie could only assume that it was because of her relationship with Lucifer that they treated her this way. Elizabeth was very pleasant to all of them but did seem to focus her attention more on Cassie, Malachi and Ella when she was around. However, she did eventually display a talent with some of them that Cassie was grateful for.

"What's his name?" Elizabeth asked Cassie, indicating a sad looking angel sitting a little ways off.

"That's Nelchael. He…" But Elizabeth had already begun walking over to him before Cassie could tell her that they had not be able to help him or any like him as yet. Cassie watched and listened to their exchange with interest because Elizabeth had never approached regular angel on her own before.

"Hello," Elizabeth said to get his attention, "My name is Elizabeth," she began as he rose.

"I am Nelchael, _l__onsa_," Elizabeth noted the name he had for her but did not acknowledge it.

"You are sad."

"Yes," he responded simply.

"And you are Ophanim, right?"

"Yes," he said brightining at this.

"When you moved, the others moved…but not anymore." She said, realizing the last bit as she spoke.

"Yes," he said with the widest and happiest smile Cassie had ever seen on any Ophanim. He seemed to be delighted that someone understood him at all.

"I have an idea. Have you heard of dance?"

He just gave her a confused look. She smiled and said, "Wait here. I'll come back" and she turned to go, but suddenly, none other than Lucifer himself appeared next her. Nelchael immediately took a few steps back as Lucifer stole a smoldering kiss from her and handed her something. He turned to look Nelchael over apprasingly and then walked off.

"Okay, nevermind," She laughed to herself turning back to Nelchael, "Come on I have something to show you." And she grabbed his hand and took him to the TV to show him the DVD she now had that she hoped would explain what she thought he may enjoy.

"Cassie, come see this," she said and Cassie joined them, still a little amazed.

As it turned out, movement was what they were all looking for, the Ophanim, and apparently dance was a great way for them to express this, especially in a group. Elizabeth had shown him a ballet and he was mesmorized, so they knew they had it right. Elizabeth and Cassie were both very excited about this solution, but Cassie was curious as to how she'd known.

"What just happened there?" she asked after he'd left.

"I don't really know, he was just so sad and I wanted to help him."

Eventually, they determined that her talent apparently only worked on a certain few angels but they couldn't figure out why.

* * *

A little later that afternoon, Azazeal approached Elizabeth and said, "You shouldn't do that, you know?"

"Do what?"

"We were having a conversation and then, poof, he's gone, and that's not the first time," he replied obviously irritated but also amused.

She turned and ignoring his irriation said, "Yeah, sorry, I forget that he doesn't have a 'when you get a chance' mode."

"At least for you he doesn't."

She just shrugged, but she was annoyed with herself for asking him to run that little errand so casually.

"Elizabeth," he continued, "you will not let him hurt my family, will you?"

"Why would you ask such a question?" she replied shocked.

"You know why," he said slyly, "You are as much to be feared as he is, especialy now that you are carrying his child."

She was a little surprised that he knew this.

"He told me himself," he said responding to her look.

But it was strange to her that he didn't really seem to actually be worried about her loyalty to Cassie or his family and he seemed to be amused by this conversation.

"So you're just letting me know that you know, have I got that right?" she said.

With a smirk he replied, "Something like that."

"Well, Cassie's known for a while. We are your friends, Azazeal, you don't need worry. But don't you try to manipulate me, or him for that matter, to control the other. There is no reason to do something like that."

"Of course not, _lonsa_." He said a little too smoothly and left her.

* * *

Not being able to stop herself, Cassie cornered Araquel, one day and got from he the meanings of the names Lucifer and a few of the other angels called Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth!" Cassie said with great excitement the next time she saw her, "I've got a secret."

"Oh, do tell!" and they sat together.

"I know you said that you didn't want to know but, I managed to get out of Araquel the translation of what the angels are calling you."

"Ah, I knew it was only a matter of time. And I think Lucifer wants me to know too."

"Okay, so first of all he said that _naneel _means 'my power' or 'my strenth' but that it has many levels of significance. He said that it carries the feeling that Lucifer's has given control of his power to you and it could be translated as 'One to whom I have given my power.' He also seemed to think that you were now as powerful as Lucifer, sort of by proxy, I guess. Another meaning is that it honors you as the source of his power which is noteworthy because, well...it's not really true now is it? And yet another meaning is that since you are his power, his is nothing without you."

"Remember me telling you that he's dramatic?" Elizabeth said with a self-effacing smile.

"Well, he's in love, silly," Cassie said. "You've told me how he feels about you."

"I assure you Cassie, I have no powers whatsoever. He's just being controversial."

Cassie just smirked at her.

"Alright, and second, _l__onsa _means 'power' or 'force' and when I asked him why Nelchael calls you that, he said that it would be inappropriate for him to call you anything else.."

"They're always to cryptic," Elizabeth said and Cassie nodded in agreement.

"Maybe that's why they act so strangely around you," Cassie offered in the hopes of getting more information.

"Yeah, I've kind of been wondering about that too. They're much more comfortable with you."

"Except for Nelchael." He had become only one who would speak to her if she didn't speak to them first and he almost always visited when she was at the church.

"He's just grateful, I think. He knows I understand him to an extent and that I love what he does."

"Well, there must be some reason the others aren't more friendly."

"Maybe I intimidate them. They know who I'm with and even if they don't know how close I am with Lucifer, they must know that he's jealous and protective."

"I guess," Cassie said, "Wait there's Haniel. She'll tell me." Elizabeth shook her head as Cassie went off to get Haniel. Cassie had taken a renewed and intense interest in all things angelic so she was not to be stopped in her pursue of information.

Haniel smiled brightly at Elizabeth and said, "I hope you are well."

"Yes, thank you, Haniel."

"Haniel, why are the others so…unfriendly towards Elizabeth," Cassie interjected.

"Oh, they are not unfriendly, _c__asarmi_, they are…respectful," she finally decided.

"But that doesn't mean they can't talk to her."

"It would be impolite to approach her and he wouldn't like it," she said obviously refering to Lucifer.

"Who cares what he thinks!," Cassie said to Haniel's surpise, "Anyway, why it is okay for you to approach me, but not her and why does Nelchael talk to her so freely."

"He's one of theirs and he has permission," she said as if that explained everything.

"What?"

"Most of those of us here are of Azazeal's group," she said to Cassie, "And we have been introduced to you, remember? Few of his," she said refering to Lucifer,"have dared ask permission to come here and none have been introduced to her, except for Nelchael. You introduced yourself," Haniel said turning to Elizabeth with a smile. "Those who do not call you _casarmi_ are his," she went on to explain, "They are the ones you cannot always help and she does."

"But I've spoken to many who still don't approach me." Elizabeth said.

"Yes, but if you don't give them your name," she said again like this should be obvious.

"So this is a matter of politness?"

"Yes," she said and smiled hopefully, "We would like to know you."

"Hm, but go back to the part where only a few Lucifer's angels have come here."

"Yes, they must ask permission."

"He didn't just send them," Elizabeth appeared to be getting irrigated.

"No."

Standing, Elizabeth said, "I am Elizabeth," and reached out a hand to Haniel which the angel took with another beaming smile.

"I have something I need to do, please excuse me," and with that Elizabeth left them.

* * *

They'd only gotten here about an hour or so ago, when Elizabeth burst into the room where Lucifer was talking to Azazeal and a few others. He knew immediately that he was in trouble but he waited for her to speak.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry for interrupting you all, but I need Lucifer for a second," she said sweetly, playing the annoying wife who can't leave him alone with his friends. He didn't respond right away so she added, "Please, honey, it will just take a second."

* * *

That afternoon the four of them were supposed to go to lunch and then the ladies had wanted to do something annoyingly normal, but they hadn't decided what yet. When Elizabeth and Lucifer did not return, Cassie told Azazeal that she still wanted to get out just the two of them.

"Alright, but what's going on with Elizabeth and Lucifer."

"Nothing major, I'm sure they'll straighten it out."

After a nice lunch and walk, Cassie said that she wanted to play some pool. They were both quite good but it may have been because they were both cheating shamelessly. Azazeal was just better at it.

"You're supposed to let me win, you know."

"Why?" he said, but she could tell he was at least familiar with this idea.

"That's just how it works."

"Maybe next time," he said but she knew he didn't mean it. She'd have to beat him herself.

* * *

That night Lucifer climbed penitently in to bed after having finished doing what she had commanded. She'd sent him to personally ensure that all of his angels knew that they could go to the church at any time for Cassie and Elizabeth's help. She'd also had him recind any order that they needed special permission to talk to her. If she gave them her name, which apparently was a politeness that you couldn't get around, they could speak to her freely.

He didn't reach for her as he usually did but after few minutes she turned to him and hugged him. It wasn't long before they were making love. As he moved above her, she explored him with her hands and finally ran her hands very softly over his buttocks. Then spreading her hands wide she griped it firmly and he winced as her hands reminded him of how sore he was from the punishment she'd chosen to administer. This reminder had its desired effect and he spent himself gratefully, in his ecstasy expressing love that surprised her considering her treatment of him early in the day.

As he wrapped himself around her to fall asleep, he had just enough time before losing consciousness to run his thoughts over how exciting it had been that he hadn't known what he had done or what she had wanted until after she'd been done with him. Only then had she told him why he had deserved punishment and what he was going to do. She had rarely needed to take such a severe action against him anymore but he had to admit it was thrilling. She'd been so forceful and angry and he had submitted easily, without resistance. He could not help but admire each time she found a new way for him to surrender to her, he thought to himself with pleasure as he fell asleep.

* * *

_The Ophanim: Wheels, also known as Thrones, are unusual looking compared to the other celestial being. They appear as a beryl-coloured wheel-within-a-wheel, their rims covered with hundreds of eyes. "When they moved, the others moved; when they stopped, the others stopped; and when they rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels." (__Ezekiel 10:17)_


	23. Chapter 23

As more and more angels flooded in to their little church Cassie and Elizabeth became extremely busy especaily now that Malachi was in school with Ella. But they were happy to help and enjoyed the extra time they spent together and Cassie was excited to see Elizabeth's belly grow each day.

Their lives continued on pleasantly with Cassie learning more and more each day under Azazeal's guidance and him freely using his powers around her. Cassie made sure to encourage this and pay attention in their little lessons, even though, much like Malachi, she still prefered to learn things on her own. Azazeal became quite a show off actually and occasionly there was a little rivalry between him, Lucifer, and Malachi when they were all together. Malachi never won, but he didn't care.

Sara was almost at the age Malachi would remain at but was happily much less trouble. She shared a special bond with her father, which Malachi tried to be jealous of but just wasn't. He'd always gravitated towards his mother who had spent more time with him and had instilled in him a sense of kindness and an abhorrance for cruelty. However it may have been the fact that he was also so much like his father that kept he and his father from being closer. Like Azazeal, he enjoyed those wonderfully human pleasures that weren't always acceptable and didn't care how he got them. Luckily, Ella, having lived on the edge of society most of her like, was not opposed to most of these things, especaily since Malachi showed more restraint than his father. Malachi and Ella insisted that they were just "dating" but no one believed them. They were not madly in love, they were too new to love for that, but they were growing closer. They had never decided who had won the fight between them and they both threatened to give in another try, but they never got around to it.

His sister was growing into a beautiful young woman with her mother's blond hair and her father's bluish gray eyes. She had the appearance of having more power than Malachi, but that was because she had more focus and control and she'd had the opportunity to learn from Lucifer and others from childhood. She had a pleasantness about her that drew people to her and she brought out all that was kind and good in Azazeal. This was the main reason for him being to attached to her, beyond the simple fact that she was his child. Cassie did bring these things out of him too, but she also brought out such love and desire that it had a way of flustering him. He sometimes wanted to reminded himself that he could still feel kindness and goodness, so that he would not become so hateful again.

Cassie was now enjoying how special her life had become and could not wait until Elizabeth had a little one of her own. Elizabeth was excited too but she was not your typical mother-to-be. She was looking forward to the grown child more that the cute little baby, but that was just her.

* * *

When her time came, Elizabeth had insisted that only Cassie and Ardousius be with her when the baby was born. Lucifer, Azazael, and others waited impatiently but happily outside while the miracle of life unfolded. Eventually, Cassie came out of the room and approached them, but when she looked at Lucifer, her eyes told him that something was wrong. He looked disappointed and Cassie dropped her head not able to look at him. Then sharp sound of a baby's cry came from the other room and Lucifer's head turned quickly towards the sound. Looking back at Cassie, he saw that she was shaking with sobs and a horrifying realization struck him. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the room with Azazeal and Cassie trailing behind him. When he entered the room, he stopped midway between the door and the bed and sort of stumbled like he might fall, but then just stood there. He stared at her as she lay there, her eyes closed and motionless, and tried to fight the feeling that she was gone, but he knew better. The baby was still wailing but he did not acknowledge the sound in any way so Ardousius hurriedly left with the child. Azazeal moved to the other side of the bed and watched him, while Cassie remained tense in the doorway. He did not move or cry or do anything for a few minutes, but let his heart slowly break inside him, hoping that it would eventually tear him apart so that he could feel nothing. Finally, he moved towards her and reached out a trembling hand to touch her very lightly. 

Cassie watched them both from the doorway, waiting for something to happen. Then she saw Azazael wince and back away. He turned to look at her with a pained expression and then walked over to her and led her back to the front of the church. He sat them on the couch and she could now see that he was crying. "What's going on?" she said. With his head in his hands and through his tears, he tried to speak, "He…he…he calls to her but she is not there." "We have to do something," she said but she received no response and he put his head in her lap and continued to cry. She looked around and all of the angels were crying and milling about in discomfort. Lucifer was apparently uncontrollably broadcasting his anguish. All of a sudden they appeared to relax slightly only to collectively shudder, their faces showing increasing sadness and distress. She got up, leaving Azazeal huddled on the couch, and walked back to the room. When she looked in she saw that Lucifer was now laying in bed with Elizabeth, holding her body delicately in his arms, his eyes half-closed. There was still not a tear in his eyes and he was eerily still. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Lumiel. Even he had tears in his eyes and he was the most rational and unemotional angel she knew. She asked him, "Why do you cry?" He responded, "There is so much pain and confusion," he shook his head. "He searches for her, cries out to her, offering up his sorrow and despair, begging her to return...as if...," then with a breaking voice, "He will not accept that she was mortal. She had become...everything to him." And then it seemed that something new struck him and he calmly but painfully updated her, resigned to the fact that there was nothing they could do to stop this madness, "He prays for death now…he prays to her."

* * *

Lucifer awoke crying. It took him a moment to realize why, but when he did, his heart ached. Slowly he realized where he was...in her house, in her bed. He shut his eyes tight and wondered how he'd gotten there. He slowly became aware of soft voices in the front room and became annoyed, but he got out of bed and put on some clothes to confront them. 

When they turned to him, their faces, which were already filled with concern, grew pained when they saw him, his face wet with tears and a drawn with grief.

They stared at each other until all of a sudden Lucifer swept forward and took Elizabeth in his arms, holding her so tightly that she thought he might break her. But she did not protest because Cassie and Azazeal had told her what they had seen. Eventually, Lucifer looked over her shoulder at Azazael who said, "We had the dream too. The three of us," indicating himself and Cassie.

"It was a warning." Lucifer agreed, "from them."

"Well, don't you think they should have warned us before I got pregnant." Elizabeth interjected.

Lucifer looked down at her terrified, but she refused to be worried. She didn't have much longer to go and she felt fine, so she was not about to let a silly dream ruin her happiness. Of course, part of this confidence was just to keep him from falling apart completely.

Over the next few weeks, despite her fun-loving nature, she did not tease Lucifer when would he silently refused to leave her side for several days at a time. Unlike Azazeal, he could not keep away from her body as her time neared, but used alternate methods to give and receive the sensations that he just could not survive without in his current state of mind.

When the day came, Elizabeth spent more time reassuring him than should have been the case, but she did not mind. She told him that she wanted him to stay with her despite the fact that she would have wanted it just as they had described in the dream. He didn't want to be there, he didn't want this anymore at all, but it felt right that he should do something different from the dream, as if it could break the spell.

Despite all the worry and distress in the room, the event proceeded quite uneventfully and in the end Elizabeth produced a wonderful baby boy, who Lucifer still ignored, as he intently watched her to make sure she didn't die. They never knew that it had been Selith who had pleaded for her life, who had been ready to fight whatever angel they might have sent to take her. She would only have been taken as a pawn to hurt Lucifer, but once He was finally convinced to looked down and saw what Lucifer had become for her, He took pity and sent them only the warning, allowing their boy Luke to become their joy.


	24. Chapter 24

Both Azazeal and Lucifer had acted tense and strange in the time between the dream and when Elizabeth gave birth, but to Cassie and Elizabeth's dismay…after it was over, they both got worse.

Cassie had known that Azazeal had been concerned about what would happen if Elizabeth did die and that he was probably trying to figure out what he should or could do about Lucifer. But when it didn't happen Cassie assumed that he would go back to normal. She was correct about his primary concern, however since her perception of the dream was that it was vivid but not anything out of the ordinary, she did not realized that he had actually felt what was happening. Now that the tension was gone, the fear had set in.

She had noticed that he again was watching her throughout the day and that he would hold her and kiss her a little longer, as if not wanting to let go. Finally, one evening when they were alone, she asked him what was wrong.

"I forgot how fragile you are," he said with a small smile.

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"Well, normally I would agree with you," he responded with his cool confidence, but then he said, "but there are some things even I can't control."

"The threat wasn't against me," she protested.

"Oh, but it was, Cassie. That's why it was sent to me as well."

After a pause he added.

"They wanted me to know…what it would feel like to...to lose you."

She looked a bit confused but then it dawned on her and she felt foolish for not realizing it sooner. Both of them must have felt that they were really there and it was really happening. No wonder they'd been acting so strange, but it made sense to her now when she looked back on how they had both been that morning.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere so you can just stop with the long face already," she teased and he smiled. She pulled him close and they were soon sleeping peacefully, but she knew that it would take more than that to make him feel better.

* * *

Cassie decided to speak to Lumiel about this as the most straight forward of the angels. He had been in the dream but had only been a character in it, so he had not seen it. She explained to him only that there was some concern that God would act against Azazeal by harming herself and she ask him for his opinion on the likelihood of that. 

"Well, _casarmi_, there is a strategic balance that has been created here with Malachi refusing to bring about the end of days and both Azazeal and Lucifer curbing some of their more…malevolent activities. I see no reason for Him to act in that way. He might be concerned about all of the angels that are mixing with human kind but our numbers are so small now compared to how humanity has grown. We will have little impact."

"But he did make a threat," Cassie said, even though she hadn't planned to revealing that much.

"Interesting," he replied, "What was the threat?"

Now that she'd already said too much she decided to briefly explain the contents of the dream.

"Interesting," he said again, "Well, it makes more sense that he might act against Lucifer. They have been battling…forever, but it is not like him to provoke like that without a specific request for acquiescence or change. He would have either simply done it or threatened and then asked for something. He must have meant it as a warning only. And someone must have interceded."

"Well, that makes me feel better but Azazeal is very concerned."

"He'll see reason. Do you want me to talk to him?" Lumiel said with his usual logic.

"Ah, no, thank you, Lumiel. I'll take from here."

* * *

Cassie tried to figure out how she could assure Azazeal that the threat was over, but she couldn't just said, "Lumiel said…" So, she settled for distraction and it eventually worked. She sought him out several times a day just to check in and sometimes to whisper things in his ear she knew would amuse him. She asked to learn more and more from him and the other angels so that in her spare time she could perfect her abilities…and then playfully try to use them against him. She continued to work hard and try to learn all that she could about God and his great plan, by trying to piece together the information she could get from each angel. She hoped these efforts would make her stronger and less fragile, because she had no intention of leave him, by her choice or by anyone else's. 

One night a few days later, Azazeal suggested that they take the time away from their hectic lives that he had suggested several weeks ago.

"I think Sara's old enough now. Let's get away."

"But I thought you'd want to wait until she's reached her final age."

"She'll be fine, Cassie," he said, but Cassie knew he would always worry about her. "But she will need some looking after."

"I'll ask Haniel to…"

"Let's have her stay with Elizabeth for a while."

"You're serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you-know-who will also be part of the babysitting crew. And by the way, I still don't understand where the 'you'll never see him again' thing went."

He smiled as if something about this was very funny.

"With Elizabeth around he's no longer a threat and there are no better people to protect Sara."

"I thought a second ago she'd be just fine."

But he ignored her and changed the subject as he was so fond of doing. He moved in and slowly distracting her with soft kisses, he finally said, "Where do you think we should go? I was thinking…" But Cassie didn' t pay attention to the rest.

It had been a two weeks since Cassie had seen Elizabeth and Lucifer and she was beginning to get worried. She'd been involved in her own concerns and had expected them to want some time to themselves, but it wasn't like them to not keep in touch. She convinced Azazeal to take her to their house but he was reluctant to bother them. It was the fact that they needed to ask them to look after Sara that finally convinced him to take her.

* * *

Like Azazeal, Lucifer's mood got stranger after they returned home with Luke. For three days, he was quiet and appeared deep in thought, but was loving and very attentive. He would anticipate her need for ridiculously little things, including things for Luke, and would take every opportunity to be close to her…but while he clearly knew that Luke existed, he had still not acknowledged him. 

She was getting very worried, but was uncertain how to ask him what was wrong. On that third night, she awoke in the middle of the night and there was just enough light for her to see him propped up on an elbow looking down at her. She smiled sleepily at him and he smiled back.

"I love you," he said firmly but also with a hint that he'd just determined that this was the case, which was obviously not true.

"I love you too," she responded as ardently as she could while still half-asleep.

He pushed her shoulder gently and she obligingly rolled over so that he could hold her.

* * *

The next morning she woke late and jumped up, worried about Luke, but she hadn't heard him crying. She went in to the front room to find him asleep on Lucifer's chest while he was watching the news with the volume turned low. She stared at him with a little shock and a little amusement, but she didn't need to say anything. 

"I've been paying attention," he said as if she should have known this, "He's fine."

She went to sit next to them and pretended to be interested in the news.

What she'd been unaware of was that after the dream it had been anger, in addition to her, that had kept him together. He'd wanted to destroy things, to ruin things, to kill…but he had not (although there were some suspiciously nasty weather events during that period). Even though he had refrained from taking revenge, the anger that existed had help him deal with the time he'd spent waiting for… that day. She'd not seen it because he'd kept it from her and he'd appeared only protective and concerned to her, but the reality was that he had been furious.

When the tragedy didn't occur…that was when the fear crept in. It was same fear that Azazeal was suffering from but much more personal. And with the fear came the horrible realization that he'd pulled away from her a little but hadn't felt it until now. It was to be expected that he might seek to protect himself but now that it was over he just couldn't figure out how to let the fear go. It was his own mind that plagued him because he knew that she could not perceive the change in him. While he could distinctly feel that she loved him with all her strength, he'd always loved her more. This had never bothered him because it was a simple fact that he, and most of the angels, were capable of depths of feeling that humans could not imagine...given the right circumstances. They just weren't used to anything but what He had asked of them and were therefore easily confused by the complex nature of the feelings that occured when spending this much time with humans.

But ultimately, he decided, quite decisively, that he would not allow "them" to dictate how much he would feel for her. If he lost her, it would destroy him, but he now defiantly determined that that was as it should be. So he'd fixed himself to her as firmly as he could and refused to worry about it anymore.

* * *

As soon as Lucifer took an interest in Luke, he was absolutely fascinated. He would watch him for hours and then would sometimes let out a laugh and say "That was you" or "That was me," when Luke would do something recognizable. Elizabeth would only see it occasionally, but she was sure he was right. Lucifer was still on his best behavior, a perfect angel, but after a few days she saw a familiar twinkle in his eyes and knew that in his head he was already planning adventures with the boy. She smiled at this and hoped that they would have fun together, but not too much fun.

* * *

When Cassie and Azazeal arrived, Lucifer was a little annoyed but Elizabeth quickly greeted them and pulled Cassie way to talk. 

"How are you?" Cassie asked with only a hint of the worry that she felt.

"I'm fine, but Lucifer was very strange for a few days, but it seems to have resolved itself."

"Azazeal was too."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, concerned for them, "I'm sure what ever happened in the dream wouldn't really happen. He's not…"

"Elizabeth," Cassie interrupted. She knew what Elizabeth was thinking because she'd seen it in her face when they'd told her about the dream. Since they hadn't really described Lucifer's reaction, she'd assumed that he'd done something destructive, and ultimately had assumed that that was what Lucifer had been acting so weird about. "I guess I didn't have the heart to tell you," Cassie continued, "but he was devastated. I let you think that he'd become violent…but he was in so much pain he…he just wanted to die, Elizabeth. And he and Azazeal both felt that, clearly, and Azazeal became worried for me, that's all. I should have told you before, but…"

"It's okay," Elizabeth said immediately, but she was now thinking to herself.

* * *

After Cassie and Elizabeth had finished talking and Elizabeth had agreed to have Sara stay with them, Cassie and Azazeal said their goodbyes. As soon as they left, Elizabeth turned to Lucifer, put her hands to his face and said, "I will never leave you." 

He smiled appreciatively, but said, "That is not in your hands."

She shook her head and said, "He's my God too, remember."

"Do you think you can say enough Our Father's, and Hail Mary's, and Glory Be's to make him listen?" he said shaking his head.

"You just let me worry about that," she said firmly, but with a confident smile that he knew well.

Selith then made one of his rare interjections and announced that he would make sure that she was heard. Lucifer thanked him, but did pass this on to Elizabeth.


	25. Chapter 25

About a week later, Elizabeth and Lucifer went to collect Sara so that Cassie and Azazeal could really be alone together for the first time in a long time.

As Cassie and Elizabeth help Sara get herself together, Lucifer said to Azazeal. "Now you have a real opportunity to stretch your wings."

"Don't you think I know that?" Azazeal responded with an amused smile.

"Well, you've never been what I would call fun. You're too much like the mortals, too much in control all the time."

"Not everyone shares your flare for the outrageous."

"That's true," Lucifer said smugly, but then added, "When we toured the world, we did nothing but what Elizabeth wanted and her imagination wasn't…what it is now," he said with a raise of his eyebrows, "You should give Cassie some good stories to bring home."

"Don't you worry about that," Azazeal assured him with a laugh.

"Oh, I'm not worried, I just want to hear some juicy stories and I didn't have to create myself."

"You just make sure my Sara's taken care of."

"Don't you worry about that," Lucifer said as he wandered off.

* * *

"Cassie." Lucifer had managed to catch her alone and sneak up behind her. She jumped and gave him an irrigated look. 

"You know, you haven't even scratched the surface of what he's capable of," he said in a low voice.

"Really?" She said, being snotty.

"Neither of you are any fun at all, I don't know why I bother," he said but he didn't leave.

"What do you suggest then?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude. I just think you should expand your mind. The more you understand what he's capable of the more you'll understand him.

"And what makes you think I don't understand him just fine?"

"Cassie, I know you try but, really, you still have a lot to learn," he said with a wicked smile and with that he left her.

Lucifer then walked directly over to Sara and Elizabeth and inserted himself between them on the couch the where they were sitting. Putting his arms around them both he said, "And how are you, ladies?"

"What have you been up to?" Elizabeth asked him with playful suspicion.

"Just dispensing a little relationship advise."

"Oh my, that can't be good!"

"Believe me, they need it," he said and leaned over to kiss her.

"Why?" Sara asked.

Turning to Sara, after having gotten his kiss, Lucifer told her, "They need a little spice in their life, darling, and every once in a while, you need to cause a little stir in the world, just to let them know you're still here."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and left them to seek out Cassie only to find herself alone with Azazeal which was a rare occurrence.

"Doesn't she come with her own security team?" Elizabeth teased Azazeal, as she had found out that Sara only would be coming with them.

"There is no need," he responded.

"Aren't you worried we might hold her hostage or something?"

Smiling he said, "I think you misunderstood me before."

"Yes, I think I maybe I did," and she looked at him to explain.

"Your position needed to be acknowledged. He listens to you, which is significant and somewhat…unexpected." After a pause he added quietly, "And now I know why."

Elizabeth still did know quite what to think but he seemed to just want to make sure that she knew he was aware of her influence and that he respected it. But she wasn't sure she liked the insight into their relationship he now suggested that he had because of the dream.

* * *

"We should be back by Christmas, I should think," Cassie told Elizabeth. 

"So soon?" She asked since it was autumn already.

"That's a lot of time and I really don't think I'll want to be away from Malachi and Sara for too much longer."

"Well, have a great time, relax and don't worry about Sara."

And after a few teary goodbyes, they finally managed to extract themselves and Sara and get back to Elizabeth's house.

* * *

Sara was delighted by Luke, who she'd only seen once, and loved the new environment. She was very interested in all of the books, pictures, and items in Elizabeth's house and she loved following Elizabeth around as she gardened, cooked, painted, and did her normal activities. 

"Aren't you bored?"

"No."

"Well, tomorrow we're going to get out of the house and do California things, okay?"

"Okay," Sara responded brightly.

"But you have to remember, no powers around the mortals," Elizabeth said in a teasing voice because Sara knew better but often forgot.

"I promise," she giggled, "Why don't you use yours ever?"

"Because, my dear, I don't have any."

"Sure you do," and she glanced at Lucifer who was across the room, but he just put his finger to his lips conspiratorially.

"I'm sure I'd know if I did," Elizabeth said, not seeing this exchange.

"I guess so."

* * *

Sara was fascinated by Los Angeles, the beach, and the mall just as she should be. Elizabeth was happy to be able to give her some new experiences while she was still young because she was worried that the girl had spent too much time around the supernatural. It wasn't Cassie and Azazeal's fault, but unlike the wild Malachi, she had a harder time fitting in to the mundane world. 

After a few days, Elizabeth decided that they should all move to the horse ranch that they now had in Central California, where they could have some fun and more company. She figured there Sara could get outside more and enjoy being a young lady because too soon she would reach her final age.

They had bought the ranch not long after taking ownership of her racehorse Lava Man…and she had discovered what a disgustingly large amount of money Lucifer had amassed over the eons. Elizabeth had finally admitted to herself that there was no reason to work and that living off of his money was actually better for the entire world's economy. Besides spending the money meant nothing to him, he just enjoyed the game of getting it.

Elizabeth had turned the ranch into a business that retrained retired racehorses for new owners, which she enjoyed a great deal. It had the added benefit of being a place where the angels could visit them, because Lucifer had become rather possessive of her family's house. No one was allowed to enter her home without express permission (which meant never) and the only people who had ever been inside were Cassie, Azazeal, Malachi and Ella…and Selith but he didn't count.

They also had a small entourage of guardians, at Lucifer's insistence, who followed them from the house to the ranch. Now that his angels were also funneling into society there were those, like Azazeal's Ramiel and Araqiel, who were most suited to doing whatever Lucifer wanted. They didn't seem to mind just watching over her or Luke, or running errands, or handling business for him. Elizabeth treated them more like companions and always welcomed them each by name when they would pop in and got to know each of their differing personalities. She enjoyed their quiet company when Lucifer was not around and allowed herself to feel protected because she knew how important it was to Lucifer.

There were also a myriad of other angels who would undoubtedly drop by the ranch, especially now that Cassie and Azazeal were "on vacation." Elizabeth's human staff were usually too busy to notice these visitors, who sometimes did make themselves visible, but had gotten quite used to the number of "friends" that she and her "husband" had. It was helpful that the horses chose not to react to an angel's neutral presence, however they would react if the angel applied positive or negative pressure. This had caused some strange occurrences in the pasture and barn that had made Elizabeth laugh and her staff to look at her strangely.

* * *

Cassie and Azazeal had decided to initially stay at a house in Australia away from too much civilization. Upon waking on the first morning, Azazael found that Cassie had gotten up already, so he put on his pants to go find her. When he did she was standing in front of the huge glass patio doors that looked out on the beautiful surrounding landscape. He smiled to himself as he saw that she was wearing only his crisp white shirt. He stared at her for a moment before quietly moving up behind her. 

"I don't think we'll get far like this," he said and she jumped a little.

"We don't have to rush off just yet," she said turning towards him.

Looking down at her, he reached out a finger to pull at the one button that was holding the shirt across her body, but he didn't undo it.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" he said in a low voice.

"Not at all," she said but it wasn't true, "This was just the first thing I grabbed."

"Hmm," he said and started to kiss her.

They didn't make it out of the house that day and Cassie was happy that they had started with quiet, undemanding time together.

* * *

As soon as Luke was able to walk, Lucifer had started to steal him away for little adventures. They pretended that Elizabeth didn't know, but he always left her some indication that Luke was with him and she would find out later what they had done. These little adventures started small, like taking him back to the park near the house in California, but got bigger as Luke grew. After finding Luke a bit sandy one afternoon, she'd gotten Lucifer to admit that they had gone to make sand castles…on a small desert island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Elizabeth just smiled a shook her head at him. She had decided a while ago that since Luke was never going to be a normal child, he deserved to know his father in this way and she would not limit this activity unless it became a problem. 


	26. Chapter 26

Cassie and Azazeal did eventually make it out of the house and Azazeal was slighted annoyed but indulgent of Cassie's insistence that they start their escapade by simply visiting various interesting cities. Lucifer's words had made her cautious, though she didn't know why. The only thing she could think of was that she didn't want to know if there were things about him she wouldn't be able to accept. But after some additional consideration and an email conversation with Elizabeth, she decided to throw caution to the wind. Elizabeth had told her that she herself was rarely prudent so she might not be the best advisor, but in this instance she thought Cassie really needed to find out all she could about him, damn the consequences.

"Alright, I know you're bored," she said to Azazeal, "Tomorrow, I'm all yours."

"That's more like it," he responded, "Where has your adventurous side been, hmmm?"

"Let's just say I'm ready for some mischief of my own now."

He laughed and began thinking to himself what would be the best way to start her education.

* * *

Sara was becoming quite a horsewoman under Elizabeth's guidance. Of course she relied too much on communication directly with the animal. 

"Sara, I know you can just ask her to trot but her new owners won't be able to do that."

"Sorry!"

And she slowed the mare to a walk again to ask her properly with the phyical aids.

"Good, that's perfect."

"Aunt Elizabeth, when will Luke be grown?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but I sure it will take him about the same time as it takes you. Why?"

"I'm going like him, I can tell, but it's weird with him being so young."

"Well, you'll both have your whole lives to be the same age and get to know each other."

"Good."

Elizabeth found this conversation strange, but she didn't doubt Sara's feeling. And she certainly hoped Luke would turn out to be someone she would like.

* * *

Cassie had no idea where they were but it looked like what you'd expect Africa to look like. It was the warm late afternoon and it would be sunset soon. Azazeal said nothing but took her hand and led her to a near by watering hole. The animals there raised their heads to look at them but did not run off. Cassie smiled at him because she'd actually always wanted to see Africa and for whatever reason she didn't think she would have thought to ask to just walk around a place like this. Azazeal smiled back but both of them remained silent and moved quietly. 

They moved around the water to the other side and a little ways off from the animals gather there, they abruptly came upon a small pride of lions. Cassie was ready to stop short of them or quietly move away, but Azazeal tugged her closer. The lions were staring at them and had started to make half-hearted roars at them. Cassie was prepared to bolt at any time and froze when one of the females rose and came over to them.

"Cassie, you're being ridiculous."

"Have you noticed that they're lions? Hungry lions?"

But he just laughed and when female reached them, like a house cat she purred and rubbed against Cassie's tense legs. Cassie began to relax but tensed again when some of the others started approaching.

"So you're telling me that they listen to you?"

"Cassie, I'm still an angel in many ways," he said, smiling at her reluctance.

She narrowed her eyes at him and then her rebellious side came out and she released his hand to squat down to the now three lions that surrounded her. The one continued to rub against her, almost knocking her over. Another rolled on her back and swatted at the air, seeming to want to play, while still another sat on her haunches observing her. Cassie reached out and scratched one behind the ears and the cat closed her eyes and moved her head to make sure Cassie got the right spot.

"Actually, they don't listen to me so much as…become peaceful," Azazeal said.

"How did you know I liked cats?"

"I didn't. But once you'd played with lions, I was sure you'd be up for anything," he chuckled.

After a few more minutes with the playful lion pride, they moved on and were soon surrounded by a herd of curious gazelle. Somehow it was almost more impressive that these naturally skittish creatures were bumping up against them and smelling them with great interest. That day they also met some friendly elephants and a pact of silly hyenas.

This experience was a perfect choice on Azazeal's part as it served to reassure Cassie rather than just impress her. Now, she was looking forward to what she'd see next.

* * *

Luke cried out loudly and then began to cry. Elizabeth looked over and saw him crumbled in the dirt with a small dust cloud surrounding him. Her initial thought was to run over to him, but she forced herself to just walk briskly. The unfortunate boy was too inexperienced for his growing body and was now able to get moving fast enough to hurt himself. She squatted down next to him and, as she suspected, he'd managed to skin both his knees quite impressively. 

"Hey, you're alright," she said, pulling him up to a sitting position, "But it hurts doesn't it?"

He sort of nodded but was still crying a little, so she hugged him. He hadn't had the opportunity to hurt himself really well yet.

Then she looked up and saw Lucifer looking down at them. He said, "Here, I'll fix it."

But Elizabeth shook her head.

"But it hurts," Lucifer said.

"You can't just make it go away," she smiled, giving him a look that she hoped conveyed her meaning. He could but he shouldn't.

She looked back at Luke and considered picking him up but he was getting too big for her. So, she got him standing.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, Evil Kanivel," she said and they walked together in to the house.

She sat him on the closed toilet seat like her mother had always done and got out what she needed. As she did she thought to herself how lucky he was, because when she was little, her mother used alcohol to clean her cuts and scraps, but now they had less painful things for this. He was still sniffling, so she said to him, "You know, you're not on your way to becoming a grown up until you've got a few scars to show for yourself."

"Really?"

"Really!" she said and she showed him a few of hers. This seemed to make him feel better and by the time she'd finished patching him, he was ready to get back to having fun. She smiled as he happily left to go make more trouble. Lucifer had been watching this and said to her, "You're good with him."

"I try," she said simply. Never having any brothers or sisters or any younger kids around when she was growing up, she felt woefully inadequate for this but she did her best.

"Why couldn't I just heal him?"

"We've got to let him be a real kid. He's got to learn how to take care of himself the way the rest of us do. Then you can teach him what you like."

* * *

Upon waking alone in an unfamiliar room, Cassie smiled to herself and got up to explore her new surroundings. She couldn't find Azazeal but eventually went to the window to find that they were in Venice, Italy. After a few minutes of enjoying the view, she realized that people were not wearing the clothes that they should be. She went back into the room surprised but not entirely shocked. She found him in the bedroom, where she was sure he wasn't just a little while ago. 

"And how do you explain this?"

"What?"

She just cocked her head and gave him the 'you know that I mean' look."

"It wouldn't be as fun if you know exactly how."

"I suppose."

"We're going to have to get changed if we want to go outside."

"Oh, so we have clothes too?"

"Of course."

They both changed and after Cassie had a laugh at seeing Azazeal in a different outfit, they headed out to explore the city. It was kind of like being in a period movie only much more real. At first Cassie didn't want to speak to anyone but Azazeal had no problem interacting with the people they met on the streets or in establishments. There was a lot more time hopping after that and as they did it more Cassie got comfortable with the concept.

It was interesting to Cassie how the people they met were drawn to Azazeal. He had a natural charisma when he chose to use it, but it could, quite quickly, turn into manipulation. In some ways it was nice to know that it was just part of his personality and how he'd acted towards her initially was nothing out of the ordinary, but it was disturbing that he could so easily get his way and he didn't seem to be bothered by it. Even Lucifer didn't act this way, of course his actual face to face interaction with humans was minimal because he pushed them in a more generally way towards some grand scheme or another. Azazeal was not unkind to those he manipulated (usually) he was just too good at it. But when he spoke to her and when they were alone, Cassie didn't feel manipulated. She decided to observe him more and try to understand this, because despite all of her love for him, it was her greatest fear in their relationship.

* * *

Elizabeth was getting quite busy with Luke, Sara, and the ranch, but she did still have plenty of time, she thought, to pay attention to Lucifer. However, as they had settled in to a more regular routine she had noticed that he seemed a bit more restless. He couldn't steal her away like he use to because someone had to be with Luke and she'd stopped having time to keep him occupied. She had been continuing to send him on missions to try to alleviate the tension in some areas of conflict in the world (it turn out this wasn't a easy as tempting humans to evil), but she didn't anymore. It was tricky because she needed to be very specific with him and he wasn't good with standing orders, everything was day to day. He would only do what she told him to, no more, no less, but this was not because he didn't like doing things for her (he really did), it was just how he worked. So, though he would do anything for her, he still needed to be watched carefully. 

She didn't start to get concerned until began to expand his repertoire of activities to include evil things he hadn't done in a while. However, she chose to give him some leeway because, with all that had happened, she couldn't be sure what his normal range would end up being. He'd also gotten rougher with her in bed, which in and of itself was not a problem, but he alternated between that and being completely submissive, as if he was trying to get some kind of reaction out of her.

* * *

Cassie lay against Azazael as they sat on a bench outside their Australian get away spot. The warm evening air was pleasant after being so cold earlier in the day. They had been to the North Pole that day, just for a few minutes, because with Christmas fast approaching, Cassie wanted to check on Santa Claus. Of course, the hilarity of this was lost on Azazeal. 

"I wish we could do this forever," Cassie said happily.

"We will," Azazeal responded, in a tone that held too much certainty to be romantic.

"What do you mean?"

"You will be mine forever and we will have plenty of time to indulge ourselves."

"Really?" She was annoyed but he didn't notice.

"Yes," he said as he stroked her hair.

She moved to look at him

"How is it that I'll be with you forever?" She asked suspecting she wouldn't like his answer.

"When you're ready, you will be made immortal. You didn't think I'd let you die did you?" he said arrogantly.

"How exactly?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

"When were you going to share this information with me?"

"It didn't seem relevant."

"Relevant? What if I don't what to live forever?"

"Why should we ever be apart?" Still not taking her seriously.

"No, no, answer the question."

"I don't understand."

"Couldn't you just ask me, 'Hey, Cassie do you want to live forever?' instead of just telling me."

He smiled at her amused and that didn't go over well.


	27. Chapter 27

Cassie let it go that night but a few days later, after stewing on it, she brought it up again.

"So you were just going to spring immortality on me?"

"We talked about this?" he said.

"No, I found out about it but we didn't talk about it."

"And why wouldn't I give this to you?"

"That's not the point. I want to be a part of the decision, is that too much to ask?"

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"How do I know it's not if you won't tell me what's involved? You're right, Azazeal, I never want to leave you but don't push me away by being so…so arrogant."

Cassie had been getting ready for bed and Azazeal had been watching her from the chair next to the bed. He got up and when to stand in front of her, "So, do you want to become immortal?" he said but a little smile touched the corner of his lips and despite the fact that he hadn't meant for it to be condescending, Cassie took it that way.

"I don't believe you," she said, irritated at what she saw.

"What?"

"I'm having a serious conversation with you but apparently your not doing the same thing. Fine, I'm tired anyway."

Azazeal knew what she wanted but was not prepared to give it to her. Not out of arrogance, as she thought, but out of fear. He loved her more than anything he could think of but his pride had built itself up again since he'd begged her to let him stay with her. Deep down he didn't feel any different than he had when the pain Lucifer had inflicted had made him completely honest with her, however he had become too protective of his feelings over the years to allow himself to remain that way, even for her.

Lucifer had been right about him, he was too human for his own good. His naturally magnetic personality and self-confidence had morphed into arrogance and manipulation when God had abandoned him. He had felt and acted strongly and innocently at first, because he had been given more humanity than most angels, but when he got hurt his pain was greater, so he rushed to protect himself like the rest of us. He'd developed control to make sure he never had to feel that way again and drowned himself in human pleasures to distract himself.

The problem was that while Cassie, like a lot of women, enjoyed a confident man it wasn't the confidence that was going to keep her (partly because he almost always over did it). She'd seen the man underneath all this and that was who she wanted to be with and who she wanted to ask her to be with him forever. Of course, the irony was the he actually understood this better than she did, with her being as young as she was. She was reacting instinctively to his emotional shield but wasn't able to say what she really wanted.

* * *

"Elizabeth…_ naneel_," Lucifer whispered to her to try to wake her up. It was early so she grumbled, turned over, and intertwined herself with him. He wanted to talk to her but she felt so good against him that he let her stay there. She woke later and said, "Good morning, Sunshine!" to him because he was awake playing with her hair.

Smiling he said, "And what would please you most this morning, my dear?" A question he often asked just to hear the random things she would come up with this early in the morning.

"Mmmmm," she said stretching, "A quiet field of tall green grass….and coffee."

He laughed and moved to get up but she made a noise in protest and held on to him.

"Am I your prisoner?"

"Yes," she said snuggling even closer.

"Good! I want to stay with you today."

"Let's go do outrageous things," she said, excited. She knew he'd felt neglected recently and that she owed him. He didn't need to tell her.

It was quickly decided that since it was Saturday and Malachi and Ella there for the weekend that the both of them and Luke could get away for the day and Sara would stay at home.

Luke was just old enough that he could spend the day out with them and not get too tired. Elizabeth was in rare form and came up with some great things to do and see that were still beyond Luke young imagination. For Luke, this day became the first time he could remember feeling how happy his mother and father were together. Even as young as we was, he already knew how in love they were and he'd already seen how his strong and unruly father melted for his mother, but that day they showed their joy at being together and with him.

* * *

Azazeal was quiet, thinking, over the course of the next few days. Good, Cassie thought to herself, let him think. They stayed around the house and generally avoided any meaningful conversation. It was like it was when Cassie first came to live with him and Malachi and he was hiding his plan from her. She wondered to herself if they would just constantly repeat this pattern of closeness and then distance depending on how he much he wanted to share with her. Was it her again, she thought, not doing something he needed like when she'd not let him feel her love for him? But then she discarded that idea because if he needed something, he would just have to tell her. She was disappointed now mostly because she had, at least partially, realized that it wasn't that he didn't understand what she was saying, but that he was hiding behind his stubbornness. She also thought to herself how stupidly like a man all this was but that it was exaggerated by the fact that he was a fallen angel and she was so in love with him.

As she was thinking these things, Azazeal walked up to her as she was sitting on the porch, enjoying the air outside and she looked up at him.

"I love you, you know that," he said.

She smiled kindly at him but did not speak. He leaned down to kiss her and he was captivated for a few moments because she made sure he could feel that she loved him. He was grateful for it but it struck him hard and made him feel sad that he could not give her want she wanted right now. He wanted to pick her up and take her to bed because that was were he expressed himself best, but he knew that even if it worked this time it wasn't enough. He left her then, to her surprise, and left her wonder what he was thinking.

He was still irrationally afraid that she would leave him and could not help thinking that the moment he allow himself to be weak, she'd hurt him. What she would possibly do or why she would possibly do this didn't matter. He wanted to cry but then laughed at himself for this urge. He could cry, and often did but right now he could not express, to her in words or actions or any anyway that caused him to feel, that he truly loved her with all his heart.

* * *

A few days later, while Elizabeth was fixing lunch for Luke and Sara, Lucifer burst in and abruptly asked Sara to look after Luke. He then took Elizabeth by the hand and they were immediately some place unfamiliar to her. It was an empty field of green grass that could have been anywhere. He was agitated but she saw him pushed that away as he held her close and kissed her. She tried to pull away, to ask him what was going on but she found that she couldn't. He was using his seductive power against her in a way that wasn't like him. She was soon lost in his feverish kisses and heard him whisper roughly, "I want to live in chains for you." She saw a flash of him lying naked on their bed, peacefully asleep on his stomach…only his wrists had metal bands around them which were connected to long chains attached to the headboard. The image opened his eyes and looked at her in lazy contentment and then she saw that his back was striped with viscous lash marks. The image was gone and in between more kisses he continued fervently, images flashing in her mind, "I want to exist in a constant state of desire for you…. I want to be your plaything….. I want to tremble at your touch…. I want to hear only your voice….I want you to mark me so that everyone knows who I belong to……I want to suffer for your pleasure…. I want to feel the force of your will overpower me…. I want know only obedience….I want to act only in your name….I want to spend eternity as your slave."

Even in her haze, it began to dawn on her that he must have done something very bad again, probably one of the things she'd expressly told him not to do. How he could go so quickly from nearly perfect to doing something of this magnitude was beyond her. Even though she knew her total control only really existed in their intimate moments together, she still expected him to show some restraint when he was on his own and for the most part he had since the genocide. But now that he had failed her again, she knew he was desperate to make himself pleasing to her again. Part of her appreciated what he was trying to do. He was afraid of how angry she would be and this was a kind of apology as well as an offer. She had come to understand that he longed to make her control complete because for him being with her had become a constant struggle between his twisted evil side and the side of him that only wanted to be a servant again. He knew but had never completely comprehended why it was so important to her that he was free, but she didn't really expect him to. For him this made sense, it was the ultimate expression of his love for her. It was the free will that had been forced upon him when he'd fallen that confused him, not his desire to surrender his will to her completely. But she knew that if she let him do this, she would lose some of the things she loved about him, so she wasn't about to give in.

"No," she yelled, finding the strength to pushed him away, "I will not take any more responsibility for you. It shouldn't be necessary and you know I'm not strong enough."

"You're stronger than you think," he said before she could continue.

Ignoring him she continued, "And what about me, what about your son?"

He looked pained and confused at this reminder.

"If you want to be with us, you will learn to take responsibility for your actions, you will learn some self-control. You don't need to be perfect but you must decide for yourself."

At these words, he gave her strange look that she could not interpret.

"I need you," she said starting to cry, "Please try."

Before she could say that they should go home to talk about this, he was gone.

Elizabeth called to him and she could feel him reach out and touch her mind but he would not come to her. Finally, she called one of her guardians who looked at her strangely when she asked him to take her home, but took her hand and brought her back.


	28. Chapter 28

Azazeal considered how frustrating it was that he could say anything she wanted him to in any way she wanted him to but it wouldn't make him feel like he should in that moment. Of course, he was getting himself all worked up about this and causing this inability to respond to her all by himself. Cassie was only annoyed that he'd been arrogant in not asking her and stubborn in not apologizing. She did not see his inner conflict for what it was. He was the only one who knew how much he'd been keeping from her and that he was finally feeling guilty enough to let it worry him. And it had all be fine, all this time, until her anger at him for not asking her had reminded him just how much he did want her to always be with him and made him freeze up.

He had been right that when he'd seduced her to have a child that she'd recognized the humanity in him and fallen in love with him, but he hadn't shown her enough for her to really know him. He had chosen to do many things for her that indicated love, but he was so protective of his feelings that it wasn't until the battle with Lucifer that Cassie really started to believe that he loved her as more than just the mother of his child. Even then he'd done what he'd done for her without tell her or sharing any knowledge of himself with her. It was if he could only do things to show his love but could not just stand still and be in love with her. His reaction to her in bed could be seen as an exception but even then, there was the intensity and lack of control to hide behind.

This was why Cassie could still only see his smooth nature as manipulation. She didn't know where it really came from. She didn't really know the true angel underneath who could be more loving than she could imagine, but was afraid to let himself go.

* * *

Cassie walked right up to Azazeal and said, "This is ridiculous. I trust you not to do this thing without talking to me first. So, let's put it aside for now and have some more fun. Okay?" 

"Alright," he said cautiously.

"Right, what should we do?"

"Whatever you would like."

Cassie thought to herself and decided that they should breakfast in Paris, so off they went.

As they sat at the café, Cassie noticed a girl sitting by herself as she drank her coffee who seemed to be looking for the person who what supposed to join her. All at once, her eyes brightened as she spotted him and the man walked over and sat down across from her. He put his hat on the table and got the waitress' attention to order a coffee for himself. When the coffee came he deliberately added milk and then sugar to the cup, stirring thoroughly. He then sat back, lit a cigarette and finally looked at the girl. He hadn't said anything to her yet but when he did her face slowly fell. Cassie couldn't hear his words but by the look on the girl's face, Cassie knew he must be leaving her. After quickly draining his coffee and finishing his cigarette, he rose, matter-of-factly put on his hat and strode away.

Cassie couldn't believe what she'd just seen and how cruel it had been. She looked over to Azazeal, who had seen it too, and shock her head.

"How could he do that, just like that?"

"It happens all the time," he said.

"But with such indifference?"

"Perhaps it is better to be left quickly than having it drawn out." Thinking to himself that this was exactly what he'd recently worked himself up to being so afraid of, her coming to him one day and being done with him. It was one of the few things in this world he could not control.

"It just not right," she said.

"So you would never do that?"

She looked at him like he must be joking with her because she hadn't see the expression on his face when he asked the question, "Of course not, besides there's no point in leaving you. You'd just hunt me down and drag me back again."

She'd meant it playfully but he was not in the mood to take it that way and was hurt that she would think he would do that.

* * *

"Let's go outside in the field," Sara said to Luke, "I want to show you something." 

He looked at her, conflicted.

"I want to be here in case Dad comes back," he said.

"He'll know where you are."

He considered this.

"Yes, but…"

"Don't argue," Sara said and she grabbed his hand and dragged him outside.

Luke hadn't been outside since his father had left, but he had seen him twice. He'd come to visit with him but hadn't said much and looked miserable. Luke had told him that Mom really wanted to see him but Lucifer would conveniently ignore this and would talk only about what Luke had been up to.

Sara took Luke out into the field and said, "Now, look up at the sky, okay?"

"Okay," he said obligingly and did as she asked.

It was a perfectly clear and beautiful day, but all of a sudden it started to cloud up and get colder. As Luke watched the sky, more and more clouds rolled in and he could tell it was going to rain now despite the fact that it had just be a wonderful day. He looked at Sara and she looked proud of herself, so he smiled back. He knew that she was doing this to entertain him because he'd been down lately.

Looking back up at the sad clouds, he was suddenly struck by the thought that his father might not come back to his mother and somehow that idea was more frightening than the fact that he might only rarely see his father himself. His eyes teared up and then he heard a small surprised cry from Sara. He turned to look at her but her eyes were fixed on the sky where the sad clouds had turned into angry ones. Just then the sky opened up and the rain began to pour down on them fiercely. They ran back to the house and were covered in mud by the time they got there. Elizabeth was not amused but she didn't scold them, knowing that Luke had acted out of sadness.

* * *

"Can we find her?" Cassie ask randomly one morning. 

"Find who?"

"The girl that horrible man dumped?"

"Of course," Azazeal said.

When they found her Cassie stared at her, at her desk at work, still sad and heartbroken. (They were, of course, observing her invisibly.) At the end of the day, they followed her to a bar and Cassie said, "I just want to do something for her, find someone for her."

"Well, there are plenty of men here, she's pretty, she'll find someone," Azazeal responded.

But this wasn't enough for Cassie. She didn't know why this bothered her some much but she couldn't let that girl pine for that man any longer. Uncharacteristically, she said, "Can you make a nice guy here approach her, ask her out, or something?"

"If you like, but like I said she's pretty and she already has admirers."

Cassie did notice that a few were looking at her but she was so down that she was giving off all of the wrong signals. Before she realized it she said, "You can get her to cheer up, I know you can, just get her to perk up a little."

Azazeal smiled amused and slightly wickedly, took a drag on his cigarette and sauntered over to her. Cassie couldn't hear what either of them were saying but it only took a few seconds for the girl to brighten and start flirting with him. Cassie felt a stab of jealousy and then reminded herself that she'd sent him over there. How did he do that, she wondered, be so inexplicably charming. And even though she would generally characterize this as just his manipulation, she started to think maybe there was more to it than that.

As he walked back over to Cassie he was smiling smugly.

"She's very nice, she loves dancing, and I can tell she's got quite a thing for sexy lingerie," he announced.

"How do you know that?"

"I listened to her and women always have a 'thing.' She'll be fine once she gets some attention."

He smiled and gave Cassie the napkin with her phone number. Cassie rolled her eyes, but she looked up there was another guy talking to her and she was just as animated as she'd been with Azazeal. He turned to look back at her and Cassie noticed that he seemed happy to have helped now, rather than proud that he'd manipulated someone.

* * *

Elizabeth knew that Lucifer sometimes came to visit Luke but the boy complained that his daddy didn't take him anywhere anymore. She would occasionally call his name but he would still only sadly touch her mind and retreat again. Sara caught her starting to cry once and reassured her that he would be back, but that wasn't what Elizabeth was worried about. She had started to think that maybe she was being foolish, maybe she was being selfish. Technically, someone having complete power over him was exactly what he needed and it would stop all of his evil tendencies. She had to at least consider the possibility that this was necessary. 

However, despite the fact that she now believed that it was possible, based on his words and actions, she didn't think she could emotionally handle it. Somehow she knew what he would be like. He would have no spontaneity, no fire, no playfulness, no intensity. He would still love her and desire her, but it would be blind and uninspired. He wouldn't get frustrated with her, irrationally worried about her or overprotective, there would be no need. He wouldn't do those cute things he did when he was trying to get her to let him do something she disapproved off, only to sometimes get distracted by her and forget what it was he'd wanted in the first place. He wouldn't entertain and annoy her by telling her all the good and bad things he'd done that day, because he wouldn't do anything she didn't tell him to do. And she wasn't even sure he'd notice Luke unless she asked him to.

How could she look at him each day and know that this used to be the dynamic man that she'd loved, but he had diminished? How could she deal with the fact that she'd loved him because he had loved her so much and that it was this love that made him willing to become this perfectly obedient servant just to stop himself from the doing things that she hated?

So she would cry herself to sleep and hope it didn't come to that.


	29. Chapter 29

Cassie and Azazeal were planning to return home soon, so Cassie took these last few days alone together as an opportunity to really watch him. She'd noticed that when she knew what his goal was in interacting with a human, what he did looked a lot less like pure manipulation. She began to ask him to get people to done one thing or another (good or bad), so that she could observe how it was done. If he noticed this new fascination of hers he didn't say thing. She began to realize just how ingrained his smoothness and charisma was and now she was interested in determining how he was using it with her. Of course, she felt kind of like a fool for all of sudden assuming that this man who she knew loved her and she had two children with was manipulating her. But because of their history and his recent "announcement," she really felt that she needed to answer this question for herself.

One day when she had a few moments to herself, she thought back on when she'd met him and he'd seduced her and saw some of his actions in a new light. Up until the night they conceived Malachi, she was pretty sure he was probably manipulating her. But when she thought of what he'd done after that, she wondered, for the first time, why he had not possessed her again or forced her in some other way to have the baby and to take care of him. He'd bothered her a bit and played on her feelings for him…but he didn't push her like she knew now that he could have. In fact, after he'd snatched Malachi from her womb, he'd essentially left her alone, and it was she that went to him, several times, when Thelma found where he was keeping Malachi. And then to top it all off, when she stayed with him he'd chosen not to use Malachi to start the end of days which was clearly his only intent at the beginning. Hm, she was going to have to re-think her position on these events.

Of course all these fears had left her without thought when she'd saved him from the then horrible Lucifer. He'd been more open then for quite some time. And they'd been very happy and loving and they'd had another child and then…Why had that feeling left them?

Well, she still wasn't happy with herself for making him think that he shouldn't be himself around her and use his powers. But then again she'd never really told him that or tried to give him that impression on purpose. Besides, she'd spent all her time working with angels some of whom simply couldn't be anything but supernatural. But maybe this desire that he'd had to act normal had something to do with all this.

She wanted to talk this out with Elizabeth, but she'd be home soon, so she decided not to call her.

* * *

Elizabeth woke up one morning and found Lucifer sitting on the corner of the bed waiting for her to wake up. Unexpectedly, he seemed pleased with himself but still a little confused. 

"Where have you been?" she asked, letting her voice show how much she'd missed him.

He was surprised by this question, "You told me to take responsibility for my actions and learn self-control."

She smiled, "And did you?" she asked, not sure where this was going.

"I think so," he said with a face like a child who's just learned a life lesson but hasn't fully digested it yet.

Her smiled widened and she crawled across the bed to hug him, relieved that he was home.

"I'm sorry. I was only thinking of myself," he said, but she only hugged him harder, not wanted to talk about it now.

Part of her did want to ask him what horrible thing it was that he had done and what exactly he'd been doing for the last several days that had brought him to this revelation, but it really didn't matter. He'd come back to her and for now that made her so happy she just wanted to be near him. But she told herself that she'd have to deal with this sooner or later.

* * *

Azazeal did, of course, notice that Cassie was boldly asking him to do things she would have never considered before. He was secretly concerned and knew she was watching him but saw no real reason not to do as she asked and it didn't seem to be making her think less of him. He was however feeling the urge to get her attention more focused her feelings for him rather than his actions, but the last time he'd felt this that strongly, he'd slept with Jo to make her jealous. 

"I want to do something just for you," he said both to his and her surprise as they walked together through a bizarre in India.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, now, if told you, it wouldn't be just for you would it?"

She thought about it for a few minutes but didn't come up with anything.

"You're not really trying, you know," he said when she looked at him in defeat.

"Yes, I am!" She exclaimed.

He stopped her and turned to look at her.

"No, you're not. I know there's a vivid imagination in there, use it," he said with a playful smile. She smiled back knowing that there were personal things she wanted, like all people, that would fit the bill, but saying them out loud was not possible.

He wanted to tell her that it would make him happy to hear some small secret thing that she wanted and be able to give it to her, but he didn't. He wanted to coax something out of her, not in a forceful way, but just to get her to trust him with something like that, but he didn't. In a way, though, he was shocked that he'd asked her in the first place. They'd mostly avoided acknowledging the fact that he could give her anything she wanted and part of him thought the only reason they were doing this trip was because Elizabeth and Lucifer had done it first. He certainly didn't want to mess this up but he had to do something to get her attention.

* * *

It took a few days for Elizabeth to become comfortable around him because she was worried that something would go wrong again. But eventually she couldn't help herself and one night she found herself kissing him, hands clumsy in her efforts to him out of his clothes. He smiled and helped her. She was slightly embarrassed about how quickly she reached her climax, but the pleasure made her forget it quickly. He, however, was careful and she could tell he was holding back, despite the fact that he was desperately hard and struggling for control. Rather than asking him why, the foolish girl inside her decided to push him towards greater pleasure, to stroke her own ego more than anything else (No one's perfect!). 

She knew his body too well for him to resist her and soon he moaned softly in her ear and gave in completely, letting his body express its delight in being with her. At the same time, his pent up feelings came at her strongly as he began to speak to her in angelic. He shook with each wave of emotion but instead of wearing themselves out, his feelings built up in intensity. Then finally to her surprise but his relief, he practically shouted that she was his Goddess, the angelic version of the Hebrew word _Shekhinah_ (of course the angelic word had no gender). Having said the word, it drove him to further levels of ecstasy and worship than she'd ever felt as he continued repeat it. She felt surrounded by him, lifted up, and filled with power, as she cried out in pleasure and held on to him tightly. He blissfully exhausted himself in his rapture and eventually they both lost consciousness.

Elizabeth had been watching him sleep, amazed that even now, after all he'd been through with her, he never hid his feelings from her and he was always ready to let her know just how much he loved her. But she wondered how much of that had to do with his lack of self-control. When he awoke her expression changed to one of concern.

It took him a moment to realize what she was worried about, but when he did he only smiled and said, "It's alright. Don't worry."

"Is this why you were holding out on me?"

He just smiled.

"You shouldn't call me that. It's not right," she said becoming serious.

"It's not wrong," he said with unexpected stubbornness.

"I don't like it," she said trying to get the feeling of it out of her head so that she could be more persuasive, even though she knew very well how pleasurable it had been.

"Think of it as an honorary title."

"No"

"Well," he said stretching his body languidly and half-closing his eyes as he was still in the afterglow of the experience, "I guess you'll have to punish me then, because, I'm going to do it again," the familiarly bold Lucifer coming through.

"We talked about this. I won't take any more responsibility for you."

"Let me say it, Elizabeth. It doesn't mean what you think it does," he said reaching out to touch her and then pulling himself closer to her. Looking at her adoringly he said, "I would be your slave whenever you would desire, my love, but I will also always be what you and Luke need and if that means being free then I will obey you in that too," and then playfully, "I can be either one or both, depending on how you look at it."

"I don't understand."

"I told you, I did what you commanded. I learned self-control and decided for myself, so I could come back to you," he said with heartfelt earnestness, "Those things that you've forbidden won't happen either. But I will still need to be reminded how to behave on everything in-between," he said giving her a suggestive grin. "Aren't you impressed?"

She smiled at him, beginning to figure it out. The fact that he felt he had done this for her explained why he had been so excited, he always came back to her in a blaze of sexual fire when he had done something for her, and why he had felt the need to tell her about his new depth of feeling for her. She felt so…honored, in a way, that he had chosen to do what it took to stay with her rather than abandon her to indulge in evil or push her until she stopped him altogether. On the other hand, and with him there was always another hand, she thought to herself how typical it was that he'd only dealt with the two extremes because that's all she'd asked him to do. He wouldn't press her to make him her slave but he wouldn't be extremely evil either. But she also thought that this arraignment might be perfect for both of them.

"I sent you away, so you did what I wanted in order to come back to me?" She said, noting that he had used the words 'commanded' and 'forbidden', which normally weren't part of his vocabulary.

"Of course."

"How is this possible?"

"I don't know. But I knew as soon as you said those things that I was going to obey you and that's when I knew you'd become…"

"Okay," she interrupted not wanting him to say it, "but why would you risk angering Him by calling me that?"

"Because it feels amazing, doesn't it?" he said, sensuously.

"Is that all you think about?" she replied.

"He doesn't care," he said more seriously, "If He did He would have stopped this a long time ago. And that's not why you were threatened."

She paused to consider this for a while. Then she smiled at him but responded in mock haughtiness, "And where was all this before? Now I feel like I've been overworked and underappreciated."

"I guess I'm going to have to make it up to you, somehow. Do you have any ideas?" he rumbled.

"I'll think about it," she said still playing the princess and she turned to get out of bed.

He reached out and pulled her back as she laughed, trying to get away from him but she couldn't. When she finally gave in, he began lazily caressing her body, and she relaxed completely.

"When is your birthday?" he said after a few minutes, "You never told me, it must be coming up soon, unless you let us miss it."

"December," she said, which had always been her standard answer to this question her whole life.

"What day?" he asked, still more interested in her body than the answer to his question.

"The 25th."

At this he stopped, considered it, and then laughed heartily.

"You're serious?"

"Me and Jesus, baby." she said, laughing now herself.

"That's wonderfully perfect, don't you think?"

But she just buried her face in his chest to hide. He pulled her away and kissed her to distract her from her embarrassment.

"It's not like you to be embarrassed," he said, but she just shrugged and he couldn't get any more information out of her on this subject.


	30. Chapter 30

Cassie and Azazeal arrived to an empty church and smiled at each other over how quiet it was, but were soon joined by Elizabeth, Lucifer, Sara, and Luke and eventually Malachi as well. Azazeal immediately noticed that Sara and Luke had arrived hand in hand, but as soon as Sara saw her father and mother she disengaged her hand and ran over to them. Sara was now her full age and was quite a lovely woman.

"Do you have fun?" she asked.

"Yes, but it's good to be home. What have you been up to?" Cassie said.

"Horses, Luke, you know, lots of mischief. But I'm so glad you both are back!"

Azazeal frowned slightly at the mention of Luke but it was more of an automatic reaction than anything against the boy, who he hadn't seen since he was little. Luke, who now appeared to be a young man in his early teens, had already been stolen away by Malachi. The two of them appeared to be good friends as well, but you could tell that Malachi was still the most trouble.

Cassie and Elizabeth greeted each other happily and were both really looking forward to a private talk. Elizabeth felt that they should leave them alone, but Cassie insisted that they all stay because the sooner she could talk to Elizabeth the better she would feel.

* * *

Sara had bounded off to join Malachi and Luke, and Lucifer and Azazeal had moved off a little and to have their own conversation when Elizabeth said, "Okay, so you'll have to tell me everything immediately. I just can't wait." 

"Oh, of course, but first I want to thank you for taking care of Sara for so long." Cassie wanted to quickly take care of these pleasantries and get Elizabeth alone.

"Actually, Sara's was really a great help. She's wonderful and very insightful, but I guess that's not a surprise."

"Thank you! And Luke's really grown up now hasn't he!" Cassie said.

"Yes, he's a great kid too. I try not to be surprised by that," Elizabeth said with a wry smile.

"I can see he's going to be handsome too."

"Well," Elizabeth replied, "I just realized…and I say this to you only because Azazeal's completely gorgeous, I mean look at him, but okay...Lucifer's body is…" and here she made an 'oh my god' face, "exactly what you'd expect God's favorite angel to be like, so if Luke has even half of that, all the women of the world are in trouble." And they both laughed.

Having heard the last bit of their conversation, Lucifer turned to them and said, "Are you talking about my son?" he said, amused.

"As it so happens, yes," Cassie responded.

"It won't be long now before I'll teach him all about you women," Lucifer said smugly.

"I just hope that doesn't entail prostitutes," Elizabeth said, knowing him too well.

"Come on, the best of them have a lot of knowledge to share. And despite what humans seem to think, sex is not an experience that should be fumbled into with no direction," he said as if he were making a pronouncement on our entire socio-sexual system.

"Once he knows a thing or two," Lucifer continued, "We can unleash him on all those beautiful women out there."

"Just the beautiful ones?" Cassie said slightly offended for all women kind.

Lucifer gave her an honestly annoyed and insulted look, "They're all beautiful."

Cassie could never understand his random opinions, but she glanced at Elizabeth who told her with one look that somehow all this made perfect sense in his world.

"How did we get on this topic?" Elizabeth said.

Lucifer, noticing the slightest hint of irritation in Elizabeth's voice, moved over to her, leaned down and, so close that she could feel this lips moving against her ear, he whispered, "Don't be jealous. You know I serve only you." He said this with such a mixture of amusement, sensuality, and sincerity that made her smile, blush and glance up at him quickly. His eyes lingered on her face for a few more seconds before he turned back to Cassie and Azazeal. Cassie had noticed Elizabeth's reaction but couldn't imagine what he could have said to make her blush. They were different she could tell and somehow she felt they'd discovered something while she and Azazael had been gone.

"Well, Elizabeth has kindly agreed to help me get our stuff settled, so we're leaving you boys to yourselves." Cassie announced. Elizabeth did not contradict her, of course, knowing that this was just an excuse to get some time alone.

* * *

"First, I have a problem." 

"Uh, you're supposed to take a vacation to get away from your problems, not to come back with one."

"I know," Cassie said, "But here it is, Azazeal told me that he could make me immortal."

"He can do that? That's great, but I can see the dilemma."

"Well, apparently he can…unfortunately, that's not really the problem."

"Alright…"

"He just announced this to me like he was doing me a favor. He didn't ask me or even pretend to want my opinion and then when I got irritated, he didn't feel it was worthwhile to apologize."

Elizabeth just looked at her for a moment because Cassie had gotten quite worked up in telling this.

"Okay, so I exaggerated a little but that's what happened."

"Well, either he's a jerk or there's something keeping him from just asking you…and I don't think he's a jerk."

"Me neither. And what's worse is that after all this, I started to worry that he's been manipulating me again, I know it's silly. But I do think he is keeping something about himself from me, do you have that problem with Lucifer?"

"Ha," Elizabeth laughed, "He's not shy, let's put it that way," she said with a little twinkle in her eye and then slight blush again.

Cassie looked disappointed.

"Look it's not fair to compare them. I mean you can, but only to illustrate their differences. Lucifer is literally the poster child for completely out of control, so it's not surprising that he's…more forthcoming…with everything. But you know he comes with his own set of challenges."

"I know."

"Cassie, it really helped me to think of Lucifer in terms of what he must have been like as a real angel, you know. To try to understand why he acts the way he does. It all makes much more sense that way. Of course, there's more information about him out there and he'll also tell me anything I want to know about himself, but I think that if you ask Azazeal, he won't lie to you."

Cassie smiled, "I'll do that. Now…what is up with you and Lucifer?" She said in a tone that indicated that she'd already noticed something.

"Nothing major," Elizabeth said trying to sound dismissive, "We had a rough patch but he apparently stumbled on to some self-control, so we'll see how that goes."

"How did that happen?" Cassie asked, knowing that Elizabeth wasn't being her as open as she generally was.

"I yelled at him about something and he took the hint, I guess."

"But he's different…again!"

"I know," was all Elizabeth would say with a kind of self-conscious look on her face.

* * *

"Alright," Lucifer said, flopping down in a chair, "Give me all the juicy details." 

"I'm not in the mood," Azazeal replied.

"Not in the mood, come on, if I'd known you'd come back all droopy, I would have told you not to go. What's wrong with you?"

Azazeal didn't respond right away but eventually figured that if anyone could understand his situation it would be Lucifer.

"Cassie is irritated with me because I told her that I would make her immortal."

"How could you possibly get yourself in trouble over that?" Lucifer said, honestly shocked at how Azazeal could have managed that.

"Because I told her, I didn't ask her."

"Ah, well that's women for you. But that's easy enough to fix."

Azazeal just looked at him annoyed.

"But you didn't fix it. What are you thinking?"

Azazeal was regretting his decision to talk to Lucifer but it was too late to turn back now so he said, "What if she rejects me?"

"Are you serious?…You're serious! I don't believe you!"

Azazeal was getting angry now and his body tensed as if ready to attack Lucifer.

"And what would you do, great Morning Star, if Elizabeth rejected you?" Azazeal said hoping to get at Lucifer with this thought.

"She has, my boy, more than once and for various reasons," he chuckled a little as he said this.

"And what did you do?" Azazeal asked, now less angry and interested in his opinion again.

Lucifer looked at him like he was being the densest person he'd ever met, "I did whatever it took, Azazeal…I love her."

After a long pause, Azazeal asked in a low voice, "And if you lost her, if she was taken from you?"

Lucifer looked at him furiously, outraged that he would ask such a question out loud considering the dream they had shared, but answered angrily, "I would spend the rest eternity suffering, in pain, heartbroken…destroyed," he stood and with emotion creeping in his voice he added, "To love her as she deserves, I have accepted that," and he stormed off.

Azazeal considered this, and although Lucifer had always been one to throw himself entirely into everything he did, he was right. Azazeal really already knew that he had to get over this fear of being rejected, but as soon as he'd decided that, he'd remembered that even if Cassie was immortal that didn't mean that God couldn't take her. Of course, leave it to Lucifer to already have an answer for that too, even if it wasn't a pleasant one.

* * *

"Malachi!" Lucifer yelled and marched over to him. 

"I don't know whether to thank you or kill you for getting me into this."

"Into what?"

"I could be fighting a glorious battle or in blissful oblivion, but no, I had to listen to you and your meddling mother."

"Hey, I didn't think you'd ever get close to finding what you were really looking for, so it's got to be worth something that at least you found someone would helps you even a little. And you love her, right?"

"Like you couldn't possibly comprehend," Lucifer responded with a mischievous smile.

"Then what's the problem?"

"You were the only one who knew what I needed, probably better than I did at the time, and you let me try. You can't image what I've been through for that woman and I blame you."

Malachi looked confused for a second and then a smile crept across his face. "You've found it haven't you?" Malachi said, surprised.

Lucifer replied with mock annoyance, "We're close enough…No thanks to you!"

And they both laughed.


	31. Chapter 31

Azazeal had decided what he wanted to do to get Cassie's attention and hoped it would lead to the resolution of all this tension between them. It seemed perfect, but on closer inspection it also seemed ridiculous. Yet deep down, he thought it would at least mean something to her so it was worthwhile for that reason alone.

* * *

Cassie had also made a decision. 

"You manipulated me to have a child, right?" She asked suddenly one night when they had just gotten into bed. Azazeal looked unprepared for this but that was exactly what she wanted.

"You mean Malachi?"

"Yes," she said and continued to look at him for his answer.

"Yes, I did manipulate you. Would you have had a child with me otherwise?" he asked trying to keep the conversation light.

"No," she responded simply, "And when did you stop?"

His brow furrowed for a second.

"I don't know the exact moment. When I took him I had intended to leave you alone, but when you sought me out…I really did want you to stay with us…I can't deny that I coaxed you along a little at least until you saved Malachi from Ella."

"But you loved me? When did that happen?" she asked less challengingly.

He made an amused face and said, "That's my secret."

She wanted to know everything in detail but realized that she would not want to be cross-examined about when she fell in love with him, so she let it go.

Azazeal spoke before she could ask her next question and his manner had changed to a more sincere one, "Please understand that once I loved you it was important to me that you love me on your own. You would not mean what you do to me if you were under my spell. That at least should make sense." And he seemed to really want her to believe this.

She considered this and said, "It does, but I still feel like I don't understand you, like there is something you are keeping from me."

He looked down for a moment and looked back up at her with a sad smile, but he did not answer her.

* * *

Azazeal often caught Cassie watching him now and despite the fact that he couldn't actually read minds, he knew that she had come to the correction conclusion that the key to understanding him was in his past. She would often ask gentle questions about it and he did his best to answer her fully, but there was too much there to be uncovered by a few questions. Azazeal felt that he should take the time to describe to her in words what had made him who he was: his nature as an angel, his fall, how his heart had been battered because of his innocence, how he'd turned bitter, how he'd been twisted, how he'd been trying to let all that go for her… 

But it seemed to great a task for him to undertake, not because he didn't want her to know, but because it would draw out the pain of revealing all these things to her. She would understand it better, he knew, but if he waited until he was capable of it, she may not be there any more.

He therefore decided that he would do what Lucifer had undoubtedly done with Elizabeth and show her. The best place for this was, of course, in an angelic trance, which Cassie would be familiar with so she should be able to process the information.

So during a particularly sensual night together, Azazeal moved himself towards the edge of the ecstasy that he knew well, but rather than simply professing love for her, he tried to use the feeling to pry open the doors to his soul. He was successful but only long enough for her to gasp and for him to feel her desperately want to comfort him. His sensitive feelings were too overcome by her reaction to allow her to examine him further and he distracted himself by giving in to the familiar urge to tell her of his love for her in angelic. He did not speak of it the next day but knew that she was digesting this information and would come to him soon for an explanation.

She however had no intention of asking him about this. She had seen enough to understand what she needed to: that his capacity for love and feeling was actually beyond her own and whatever he had experienced had obviously wounded him deeply. She wanted to carefully coax him into revealing these things to her and since they would have forever, she would have plenty of time. After all the injury she used to feel that she'd received from him, it felt strange that she'd ended up wanting to comfort him, but she was beginning to understand that nothing was simple with angels. She should have realized a long time ago that there was more to him than met the eye, but she was caught up in the lies and her own strong feelings for him.

After a few days, Azazeal was quite discouraged by her lack of response, but did not let that stop him from moving forward with his plan.

* * *

After a normal day in their hectic lives, Cassie and Azazeal relaxed together and talked of nothing of any real importance. At one point, they ended up sitting on the couch turned towards each other in a way where their legs touched at the knees and kept them from being close to one another. Azazeal slid towards her on the couch, letting one knee touch the ground so that he was closer to her, as they continued to talk. Then at a break in the conversation, without announcement or ceremony, he looked down and reached out a closed hand. Once it was over her lap, he slowly opened it to reveal what he held in the palm of his hand. Cassie let out a barely audible gasp but did not speak. Azazeal was still looking at what he held in his hand rather than at Cassie when he started to speak. 

"I know that this may seem simple, but I thought that it was something that you would understand…something that you wouldn't mistake for…for arrogance and manipulation."

At this he raised his eyes to her and saw her looking at him with an expression of love that he hadn't let himself hope for. He was too happy to be offended that for the moment she was actually ignoring the two beautiful gold rings he was holding in his hand. He had had these crafted especially for them and had felt that at least these would be a start in letting her know how much he wanted her to be with him forever.

"You know what these mean in human terms," he said, "And I ask only that you consider spending my kind of forever by my side as well."

She grabbed him and held him tightly and there was nothing more that needed to be said. He didn't know that what he'd already tried to show her had been enough to convince her of his sincerity. She already knew she would stay with him forever and make her own effort to truly know him, she just hadn't told him yet. Now, it meant so much to her that he would offer himself and immortality to her in this way, not really knowing if what he'd revealed to her had made any difference, that she had no words.

They didn't actually have a real ceremony or anything, although Azazeal wouldn't have minded, but Cassie didn't feel it was necessary. Perhaps that was because all of the angels acknowledged this new bond between them with a particularly bright smile immediately upon seeing them. She was not surprised but allowed it to amuse her that there were some things, no matter how subtle, that just couldn't be kept from them.

* * *

A few days later Elizabeth arrived with Lucifer and Luke for one of their regular visits. Elizabeth went over Cassie and Azazeal right away and saw the rings first. She smiled broadly and admired them, as she told them how beautiful and fitting this symbol of their love was. Cassie, of course, knowing that Elizabeth would recognize this as a resolution to the fears she'd expressed to her about Azazeal's motivations. Elizabeth felt a stab of jealously, but then laughed at herself and thought that Cassie deserved her envy. Part of her hoped that Cassie realized that this was something that Elizabeth would never have. This was too simple and pure for Lucifer to ever have thought of. But his extravagance in all things was part of his charm, she reminded herself, and she'd never been good at handling Azazeal's kind of sweetness anyway. 

"What are you two wearing?" Lucifer said immediately upon getting close enough to see them.

"They're rings." Cassie answered, already preparing herself for a fight with him. Some how she'd already suspected that he would ridicule them.

"Yes, I am familiar with the concept, but what ever for?" he said condescendingly.

"Lucifer," Elizabeth said, shaking her head at him, but Cassie answered him.

"They are a symbol of our love and our commitment to each other."

"They're ludicrous is what they are," he announced firmly.

"Well," Elizabeth said with perfect pleasantness but steel underneath, "It's a good thing we don't care what you think."

He made a face in annoyance but didn't respond.

"I think they're lovely and I can appreciate their significance," Elizabeth added and she hugged them both.

When they had left, Azazeal laughed to himself and Cassie said, irritated, "What part of that was funny?"

"Don't be angry," he started, with a smile, "He wasn't making a comment about our relationship. He knows better than anyone else what we mean to each other and that's actually why he's so bothered by this. It's just," and he laughed again, "He helped create this world, you know, so to him these are just random pieces of debris. He'll never understand." This idea amused Azazeal so much that it infected Cassie and she began to laugh at this too. She hugged him and was grateful for how easily he'd turned her anger to happiness.

* * *

When they got home, as if on cue, Lucifer asked, "Should I wear a ring for you?" in a low voice. 

She turned to him and said, "Of course not, silly." But she knew where this was going.

"Why not?" he asked, seeming disappointed.

"A moment ago the idea was ludicrous, remember?"

"But not to you?" he said.

"It wouldn't change anything, would it?" she said.

"I only want please you," he said in a now familiar submissive tone.

"You do," she smiled at him and began to kiss him.

Elizabeth had now discovered a new side of him that had appeared since he had done whatever it was that he'd done to deal with his warring sides. As promised, Lucifer did not cross the line when it came to the things she told him never to do. He also, and she carefully tested this out…just to be thorough, was capable of becoming exactly the slave he had described, but could also be the man she loved so much when she called him back. She thought that this would actually be quite convenient at times because it was the only time he was completely calm and peaceful.

The upside to all this was that he didn't get restless enough to cause big problems. The downside, if you could call it that, was that he would now periodically exhibit an obsession with pleasing her far beyond his normal desire. It was mostly adorable, but could be disconcerting at times, because he could get very agitated. At first, she was afraid that he thought he had to please her enough for her to stay with him because he had failed her twice, but she eventually saw it as all part of a new game they were adding to their repertoire. It was apparently an outlet for his redirected energies and she found that though he appeared to be suffering in his longing have her direct him this was not the case. The passion behind the offer was a key part of the display. So, she played along with him and the next time, when she had found him trembling worshipfully at her feet in his desperation, she had reminded herself that he had once told her that it was impossible for her to ask too much of him before giving him something to do for her. Besides, she figured that she could handle the blushes that he now tended to cause her if it meant that she didn't have to worry about him doing something she could never forgive him for.

And so while he was capable of showering her with love, affection, desire, power, submission, money, or anything else you could think of, he could never really do for her those simple human things that we would all recognize.


	32. Chapter 32

"Where's Sara?" Azazeal asked Cassie.

"Uh, Malachi said she was with you all day."

"No, I haven't seen her since this morning."

About an hour later, before they got too worried, Sara arrived with Luke and Lucifer with a giddy smile on her face. Azazeal got up immediately and went over to her, regretting that the time she'd spent with Luke and Lucifer while he and Cassie were gone had made her familiar enough with them to feel that she could tag along with them without asking.

"Where have you been?" Azazeal asked trying to sound neutral.

Excited Sara announced, "We went to a brothel!"

Azazeal looked up at Lucifer who was standing behind her with a smug smile on his face.

"What?" Azazeal yelled at him furiously and he didn't hear Sara's protests as he moved around her to stare Lucifer down.

"It was just a little field trip and she asked to come."

"How dare you?"

Lucifer just shrugged and moving away unconcerned said, "They didn't have any boys anyway so she just asked the girls questions."

Sara was now tugging on Azazeal's arm to get him to turn around.

"Dad, how am I supposed to learn anything real about sex, huh?"

He turned to her and looked down at her unhappily.

"Both Malachi and Luke have had some sort of guidance and Luke's not even fully grown yet like I am. Am I just supposed to pick a boy and figure it out for myself? I will, you know."

"You're my little girl, Sara…"

"Not any more, Daddy," she said kindly but with a hint of his seductiveness.

He smiled at this and said, "Alright, but you're going to have to talk to your mother. I only know my part in it."

Sara jumped up to hug him and went off happily with Azazeal calling after her, "And don't listen to anything Lucifer, Malachi, or Luke say."

* * *

"It's almost Christmas," Azazeal said to Cassie. 

"Yes, it is, did I tell you, it's Elizabeth's birthday too!"

"You mean Christmas day?" he asked, his interest perked.

"Yes, why are you so fascinated by this? Lucifer was fascinated too."

"No reason," he said casually.

She moved closer to him and said conspiratorially, "I know it may not have actually been on December 25th, but was it just like the Bible? Will you tell me what really happened?"

He smiled broadly and said, "No."

"Oh, come on, you're no fun!"

"Cassie, either way, you'll be disappointed. If I had to tell you it was exactly like it is written in the Bible it would be boring and if I had to tell you it was different…you might just have to rethink all of your notions about Jesus."

"But if it's completely fabricated I wouldn't want to keep making a fool out of myself every year."

"It's not a foolish holiday. It brings people together doesn't?" he said amused at her concern over this.

"You know what I mean!"

"Let's just said I wouldn't worry about it. Now, what do you think we should do to celebrate?"

* * *

Cassie was at first shocked by Sara's open interest in sex but since she knew that Sara, like Luke and Malachi, would not have issues with pregnancy or disease, she figured that Sara might as well be as prepared as possible. Although even after coming to this conclusion she didn't know where to start. Unfortunately, like most women, in her head she thought that girls were supposed to either wait until marriage or like Sara said, figure it out for themselves with the first boy charming enough to convince them to get into bed. Well, she'd just have to get over that, she thought to herself when she had agreed to get back to Sara with some sort of plan. 

"Sara…" Cassie started, but then she looked at Elizabeth for help.

"Sorry, Cassie, but you're going to have to do better than that," Elizabeth laughed, meaning that she would not take over so quickly.

"Mom," Sara interjected, "I know exactly what's suppose to happen, in detail, but what I don't know are the…finer points."

Cassie was a little flustered by this as she certainly hadn't gotten a chance to discuss even the basics with her and Malachi had been under Azazeal's supervision when it came to sex.

"But how…?"

"I know a lot of things," she said casually, showing another glimpse of how mature she was getting on the inside which Cassie felt she should recognize from Malachi's development but some how it was different with her.

Cassie took a deep breath and said, "Sara, the problem is…well okay the problems are the following: one, it's generally not pleasant the first time…for girls anyway, so that would be something to shoot for, two, boys your "age" won't really be any good for educational purposes, and three we're going to have to deal with the fact that you're not the average girl. What do you think Elizabeth, should she start out with someone her own age or go professional?"

Elizabeth stared at Cassie a little shocked by this sudden openness but quickly recovered to discuss the question.

While Cassie and Elizabeth debated the merits of different kinds of men, Sara's thoughts wandered. She thought of all the private moments she'd caught her father and mother in, especially recently: smiling, kissing, laughing quietly, looking as though they could not be physically separated, focused on each other. She'd seen it with Lucifer and Elizabeth too. This was what she really wanted, intimacy, which she instinctively felt was more than just love or sex but fed off of both.

* * *

When Sara left them still deep in conversation, she found herself confronted by a smiling Lucifer. 

"I know what you're thinking," he said.

"Do you?" she said smartly, "Then tell me what I need to know."

"Not my area of expertise," he said with a shake of his head, but still with a smirk on his lips.

"But," he continued slowly and sexily, "when you want to learn how to make a man…or a woman helpless in their desire for you…when you want to learn something tantalizingly deviant…when you want to learn how to create an intensely exquisite experience…come see me." And they both smiled at each other for a moment before Lucifer left her.

Sara watched after him still smiling, appreciating that he knew exactly what he was good at and that he was willing to share this knowledge with her when she was ready. She watched him walk directly over to Elizabeth, now alone, who immediately pretended to be jealous of seeing him talking so privately to Sara, while he pretended to "guiltily" assure her that she had nothing to worry about. She smiled at their interplay and she heard Elizabeth say, "I think maybe you need to be brought to heel…hm?…be taught the consequences for coveting."

"Perhaps," was all he said before they disappeared.

Sara laughed to herself. She knew, just like Elizabeth did, that he lusted for no one but her. He had even confounded the ladies at the high-class brothel that they had been to by being completely indifferent to their quite intriguing attempts to seduce him.

* * *

It was only a couple of weeks until Christmas and Elizabeth still couldn't get anyone to tell her what they had planned to celebrate Christmas. She actually enjoyed this holiday more than any other and really wanted to make it a special for their newly created extended family. Even if the angels had to fake it, she thought the least they could do was have a nice dinner, but even Cassie was being weird about this. She also knew that by now all of them knew that it was her birthday too and it made her uncomfortable. 

One day when she came back to the church from shopping with Sara, she saw the looks on Cassie's, Azazeal's, and Lucifer's faces, Elizabeth knew they were cooking something up for Christmas. A bit annoyed she said, "You two don't even believe in Christmas and probably think we're all crazy."

"Don't be so quick to decide that," Azazeal said, smoothly, "Just because we won't answer your questions about it."

"Fine! So what's the plan?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, but since it's your birthday too, you don't get to do any of the work," Cassie said.

"So I can just show up then? Great!" And she walked off.

"Wow, and I thought you were exaggerating," Cassie said to Lucifer about Elizabeth's reaction to this.

"She just wants to celebrate Christmas and she doesn't want any surprises," Lucifer said.

"Are you sure?" Cassie asked.

"Relatively."

"That's not comforting."

"Well, keeping her out of this is was not my idea," Lucifer responded.

* * *

While everyone else was busy with planning Christmas, Sara had decided to take her "education" in her own hands. She'd carefully selected a candidate for her first time from a list she had compiled in her head and was now left with only the task of getting him to agree. She didn't think this would be too much of a problem but when she first tried to approach him, she lost her nerve. She had a great deal of confidence in her ability to learn quickly, but she didn't like the uncertainty of this kind of experience. Most other things she'd learned had been very cut and dry, either she could do it or she couldn't, but this involved another person who had expectations and an impression of her. Sara, however, was too much like her father to allow these doubts to stop her from getting what she wanted for long. And so, she seduced, rather than asked, her first man to make love to her. 


	33. Chapter 33

The next morning Sara was completely confident that she'd made the right choice in her selection of lover. But she now realized why her mother and Elizabeth had been spending so much time taking about it rather than just giving her a few pointers and sending her on her way. She understood that had she chosen another lover, this experience could have been radically different and knew she was lucky to have picked the right man. She couldn't wait to talk to them about this because she felt that at least now she had a basis for discussion with them.

Sara had chosen the Araqiel to be her first. For all his apparent lack of intelligence, he was actually mostly just uncomplicated and he was also the sweetest most patient being she knew. She liked his adorably curly golden hair and blue eyes, but not pale blue like hers but a vibrant, piercing blue. Like all the angels, he was exceptionally attractive and he could be best compared to a typical dumb jock but without any of the attitude. He was very popular with human women, but like some of the other angels, he did not seem interested in devoting himself to one, perhaps because his first loyalty was to Azazeal.

Since he was so close to the family, he had been generally aware of her current mission and didn't consider it to be any different than Malachi or Luke's, so he did not question her advances. She did not initially tell him that it was her first time but when she did, he just smiled knowingly at her, which comforted her exceedingly. They had taken their time and he had gently encouraged her each time she explored a new sensation or part of his body. As in all things, Araqiel had managed to be perfectly patient without seeming patronizing and was loving without making her feel overwhelmed by the implications of this act.

She was happy with herself that she hadn't chosen a human man or Luke (who was a candidate) or another angel. Araqiel was quite possibly the perfect choice and she smiled to herself that he also would have no problem treating her as he normally did despite what had happened between them. She didn't regret him but she certainly didn't want everyone to know.

* * *

"When are you going to tell me why you are so unhappy about Christmas?" Lucifer asked Elizabeth.

"When were you going to tell me about immortality…or why I'm stronger than I was before?" Elizabeth said with an accusing smile.

"Oh that…I was going to ask you, when you were ready," he said with a smile that indicated that he was clearly lying but since she couldn't prove anything he knew he was safe.

"And as for your strength, I admit that I have been building you up for quite sometime and had planned on teaching you how to access your powers eventually."

"So I have powers too? How is that possible?" she said.

"My dear, I had a hand in creation. I can certainly manipulate your physical and mental abilities," he said arrogantly.

"And you did this for yourself, didn't you, so I could be what you wanted?"

He responded in a more honest tone than she had expected, "Initially, but I knew how important that it was to you that you were not corrupted so I wanted to make sure that didn't happen."

She smiled appreciatively, deciding to let this go, and said, referring back to his previous question, "I don't like to be the center of attention."

"Why not!!!?" he exclaimed as someone who craves it.

"My birthday was always a quite affair since it was Christmas. I'm just overacting to the idea of what Cassie will think she should do for my birthday."

"Well, I certainly plan on embarrassing you thoroughly."

"You'd better not!"

* * *

"How is it that you and Lucifer were hell-bent on bring about the end of days and now you're all excited about Christmas? Isn't that a contradiction?" Cassie asked. 

"Ha, there has been much discussion by all the angels on this topic. You, Elizabeth, and the other humans who have helped us have given us hope. It was decided that since we have now fit ourselves into the world it may be possible for us to be saved too."

"Interesting!"

"It was actually Lucifer who made the most compelling argument by saying that if even he has been allowed to find some peace, perhaps He has been convinced to at least allow us to earn our way back."

"That would be great!"

"I certain hope it is the case, because I couldn't bear to be parted from you even when this lifetime is over."

She leaned over and kissed him deeply, recognizing in this discussion the new side of Azazeal that she was now seeing. As she had coaxed and charmed more and more information about himself out of him, she had finally been able to see just how deep his desire for forgiveness was. When he'd been thrown down from heaven, he had not expected it. He had thought that they were teaching and protecting humans just as they had been instructed and hadn't realized that they had allowed themselves to be lead astray because they loved humans so much. He had now begun to display his attributes in a way that more clearly reflected his angelic side and was rewarded by her love for him increasing exponentially.

Cassie was beginning to think that somehow these early angels had flaws that had unfortunately lead to their alleged disobedience.

Even Lucifer had his redeeming qualities and while he admitted to all kinds of mischief after his fall, he maintained that his offense had been that he had not understood why God had told the angels to bow to humans when God had told them before to bow only to Him. He had been summarily cast out for not obeying and it was then that pride and evil had begun to grow out of his confusion. Cassie found it highly ironic that he was now so devoted to a human but this did not seem to trouble him. Cassie thought that it did make sense that even though he was now broken and twisted that he would still want to only one voice to guide him so she supposed that this was why he had allowed his human lover to help him. Of course, she was not aware of how deep this desire was in him, how grateful he was for all of the chances that Elizabeth had given him to get this right rather than rejecting him, and because of this, the lengths to which he'd gone to tame and humble himself for her.

* * *

When Sara told Cassie and Elizabeth what she had done, they both stared at her and simultaneously said, "Don't tell Azazeal!" 

"Why?" she asked honestly not understanding.

"Well," Cassie said, "I just know he won't be happy about your choice but it's done now. How'd it go?" she asked not really wanting to know.

Sara described her experience in a general way so as to relive her mother's fears and not disturb her with the details.

"Right, well that sounds like a good place to have started. Do you have any questions?"

"How long does it take to get good at it?" she asked a little to seductively.

Cassie's mouth dropped open.

"Sara, it's not a matter of time so much as experience," Elizabeth said, "My advise would be to stick with Araqiel for a while before you move on. Then maybe we'll have some specific things for you to try."

"Okay," she said happily enough and left.

Cassie turned to Elizabeth and said, "Oh my God! This is so surreal!"

"Don't worry about her. I know it's weird to see that much confidence and seductiveness in her but considering who her father is, it's not strange. Besides, she's considerably more manageable than Malachi."

"I know. I should be proud of her but I guess I'm too old fashioned."

"If it makes you feel any better, I cringe every time Luke tells me they're off to some brothel or sex club. But you know, I really think he's capable of handling it. After all he's half me too."

Cassie smiled, "I don't know how you handle Lucifer being at those places, I mean, being who he is."

"You know that's the one thing he's always been perfect about. But now I like to feign jealously whenever possible just to keep him on his toes," Elizabeth laughed.

* * *

With Christmas fast approaching, Cassie had little time to worry about Sara's sex life. She was planning something big for Elizabeth and she knew she would appreciate it. Lucifer had reported what Elizabeth had told him about being the center of attention and she was ecstatic that this wouldn't interfere with what she had planned. And actually she was quite looking forward to it too! 


	34. Chapter 34

Luke knew that his mother was going to love Christmas. She was a strange woman but ultimately she still simple at heart. As they got themselves ready to head over to Cassie and Azazeal's church on Christmas Eve, he noticed that she'd let all of her concern go today and he was glad.

He was looking forward to the next two days as well but wasn't about to tell them why. The two of them were in their own world again now that he was grown. He loved them dearly and knew that they loved him just as much, but even he knew that his father needed her more than he did. And as his father's son, it made perfect sense to him, especially now that he'd been educated on sex and was eagerly awaiting his first foray into love. He was good at everything, too good, and the only thing that truly fascinated him was the love and the unfailing devotion that not only his parents but also most of the other angels exhibited, including Azazeal. He knew he was someone who would require a partner and could feel the need inside himself, searching for its mate, but he had not yet found her…not for lack of trying, but maybe it was too soon.

He'd asked a few of his angel friends about it but only his father had really understood what he had meant.

"It's a good thing you've got your mother in there too," he had said, "If all you desire that much is a love like that then it must be her in there keeping me under her heel."

But in fact, Elizabeth thought he was almost a perfect balance between the two of them, just enough of Lucifer's power and passion, along with just enough of her control and practicality. He was fun and adventurous without being dangerous and he knew when enough was enough. She had actually thought to herself that he was so perfect that she didn't want to have another child who was bound to be different and possibly difficult.

His parents were ready to go and Luke noticed a telltale grin and look in his father's eye that always signaled something devious, and he smiled at his mother, who rolled her eyes.

* * *

As soon as they arrived, Elizabeth was ecstatic and quickly figured out the basic idea of what Cassie had planned (to Cassie's slight disappointment). Everyone was there or would be at some point. All the angels from around the world, many with their lovers, human or angelic, all together, really for the first time. Elizabeth didn't honestly know how Cassie pulled it off but there was wonderful food and wine and a tree and just everything that screams Christmas. She rushed to mingle and catch up with old friends and see everything. Cassie had told her that since the angels hadn't really seemed to understand the gift giving aspect of the holiday, they had all eerily suggested that they bring or do whatever it was that corresponded what they were good at. So the food and flowers and decorations and entertainment were all inspired by angelic talents and it made everything much more meaningful. And then there was the singing, which at first made Elizabeth chuckle to herself because it was just too sweet, but it was so beautiful that she stopped to enjoy it whenever it started up. It was perfect because to Elizabeth, Christmas was about family and these beings were her family now. 

Elizabeth didn't actually get to see much of Cassie, as Azazeal saw fit to drag her around excitedly to old friends and regale her with stories, each revealing more and more about himself and all the angels. Cassie was enjoying herself immensely and she'd never seen him so bright and happy. She must be doing something right, she figured.

* * *

As everyone enjoyed themselves, Luke began to amuse himself by flirting shamelessly with all of the female angels practically simultaneously. He'd only been with humans so far but now he wanted to try something new. His father had let him loose now and the only lessons left had to do with more extreme appetites. Luke enjoyed the attention he was getting from these lovely angels all the more because he was drawing it to himself but tried not to be too conspicuous. He noticed Malachi looking at him across the room, he and Ella were home from Las Vegas where they had been occupying themselves, and with a gesture invited him over. Malachi laughed and shook his head. Returning his attention to his companions, he noticed that Sara was walking over to him. Wordlessly, she looked the other women away and sat down next to him. 

"Are you bored?" she said, with a mock "aw poor baby" tone.

"No, actually, I was being entertained quite well, thank you!"

"Why can't you just pick one? How hard is it?"

"Because it's not about the final choice, it's about the selection process," he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes.

"So how are your adventures going?" he asked. She had told him about Araqiel, but not by name, because she couldn't stand him thinking that she was not having sex too. The two of them were very competitive about almost everything and she wasn't about to let him get the upper hand.

"Ah, I was supposed to stick with one angel…but I grew out of him too soon. Now I have a few lovers now."

"I suspected as much. I've seen the way Muriel looks at you. You've got to keep him under control."

"Yeah, well, I'm just trying to have some sex here, not find a husband."

"That's too bad," he said smoothly.

"And what are you doing then, Cassanova?"

"Enjoying the view," he said, leaning back on the couch, "How am I supposed to find my true love if I don't search everywhere?" He added, with a playful smile.

Sara rolled her eyes again, "Then I leave you to it," she said, not knowing that he actually was telling the truth…sort of.

After a grand performance by the "choir" at midnight, the party began to either settle in for the night or say their good byes and return home. Luke, Elizabeth, and Lucifer were staying the night, of course, and the celebration would continue tomorrow with a Christmas breakfast.

* * *

In the morning, before rising and joining the rest of the gang, Azazeal and Lucifer independently decided to give their Christmas presents to their ladies. 

"Hey," Cassie said as she awoke to see Azazeal looking at her.

"Merry Christmas!" he said, glancing at a wrapped package now sitting on the table next to the bed.

"We said no presents!"

"No, you said no presents and I ignored you. Don't worry it's not like you could come up with something worthwhile to give me that you could put in a box."

"Hey," she said again and punched him in the shoulder, but she knew he was technically right.

She rose and took the box and put it on the bed while she sat cross-legged in front of it. She lifted the top and found inside…a kitten. He was a lovely orange color with beautiful light green eyes. He lifted himself up on the edge of the box and meowed at her as if to say, "Where've you been? I've been waiting!"

* * *

Lucifer had been insisting that giving her a worldly present for Christmas or her birthday was stupid and not at all worthwhile. This had stung Elizabeth a little but she had graciously let it go. In the morning, she had not expected to find a small box resting between them in bed as she opened her eyes. 

"Oh, you're good," she said, admiring how she'd believed him all this time. And he smiled deviously. She opened the box to find a beautiful necklace with a pendant that was diamond actually cut in the form of a star. It was the most brilliant diamond she had ever seen and it was just big enough to be impressive but not gaudy. She smiled brightly, kissed him and immediately put it on.

A few days later, he would casually give her a few more pieces that had been made with "the leftovers."

* * *

At breakfast, Cassie and Elizabeth got their chance to talk and Cassie insisted on saying, "Happy Birthday!" which made Elizabeth smile. There were a few more gift exchanges to amuse the party but mostly among the humans. Elizabeth insisted on helping Cassie clean up a bit after breakfast but was eventually shooed out of the kitchen to have more fun. 

Elizabeth had been having a great time again mingling and talking and hadn't seen Lucifer in some time. She looked around to find him and finally did find him sitting on a couch surrounded by obviously human women. He was relishing the attention, but when he laughed and leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the woman next to him, that was just a bit too much for Elizabeth. She laughed at herself but she went over to break it up.

When she reached him and he noticed her, he rose with the ease and cat like grace the angels had, but she could see in his eyes that something was off. He grabbed her arm and pulling her towards him said, "Give me some sugar, baby." She avoided his mouth and he added, "Don't be shy," with a grin.

"No," she thought at him and an angry look to crossed his face, the exhibitionist in him annoyed.

"Well, there are plenty of others who don't mind my company," he said, obviously trying to goad her.

"Let's just go home," she suggested, trying to be reasonable.

"And leave my adoring fans?" he said glancing back at them.

"What are you up to?" she asked

"Nothing…yet!" He responded wickedly and that was it. She took his arm and transported them home (very happy that she could now do this).

As soon as they were home, he growled, now utterly out of control, lifted her and flung her onto the bed. He kissed her roughly and she kissed him back, as he deftly began to remove their clothes. It was frightening how unmanageable he was but she didn't feel like she was in any real danger and she just wanted to get this out of his system. She'd scold him later, besides a little rough sex was always exciting.

She was beginning to enjoy herself when he casually, too casually, sent her thoughts of love and for some reason that annoyed her more that anything else he'd done in the past few minutes. It was like he was patronizing her and that enraged her sense of pride. So before he was able to send any more insulting thoughts, she impatiently demanded more, indicating that it wasn't good enough. To her surprise, his attitude quickly changed and he responded more deeply as if this was what he had been expecting. Encouraged, she gradually became more insistent and specific in her demands, requiring deeper feelings and surrender from him in order to satisfy her. He willingly but wildly strove to comply with each request, as his passion to please her increased, until the luxurious feeling of being utterly hers filled him, obliterating all thought and his mind relaxed completely.

He had been moaning and shuddering all along but when he became fully aware again of their nakedness, the sensations that her body was creating in his own, and her crying out in pleasure, he groaned and came violently, trembling so fiercely that he thought it would never end. But eventually, his body began to relax too. Elizabeth ran her fingers lovingly though his dark hair as his rough breathing began to slow. He was exceedingly calm now as he had only been a few times before. She kissed the top of his head.

He lifted his head and smiled at her, "Now, that's more like it, honey."

"Will you behave now?"

"I am your puppy dog…for the time being," he added a little defiantly and she smiled at him with a raised eyebrow. Then as her expression changed to a more serious one, his expression changed as well. He pushed himself up off of her but remained over her. He kissed the corners of her mouth with gentle pecks and then began a contemplative journey over her body with the same gentle kisses. After a few minutes she spoke.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" But he did not respond. "Why?"

"I like to be reminded of my place."

"And where is that?"

"At your feet," he said and since he was in the area he bestowed kisses on them too.

She smiled a little, but continued, "You're so calm. You've only been this calm a couple of other times. Where does it come from?"

"From you," he said simply and continued to kiss her undaunted.

She began to think about what he could possibly mean by this. When she thought of the other times he'd been like this it started to make some kind of sense. After the he had gotten involved in the genocide and after other horrible thing he'd done, when he'd come back to her, he'd been just like this. This must have been what he had truly been after when he'd done those things to incite her and what he had ultimately ended up getting from her even though she hadn't recognized it at the time and she didn't think he'd expected to get it in quite the way she'd given it to him. It was a release of some kind and it was an extension of what he normally got out of being with her only much stronger. It was beyond the control, the love, the attention, the pain, the desire, and yet had always existed behind all of them.

"I can't quite put my finger on it," she said.

He had made it back near her ear and whispered to her as if telling her a secret, "The release of absolute submission." He then rolled over next to her.

"Ah," she said, "I need to tease it out of you?"

"You could put it that way."

"In whatever way I can?"

He just smiled at her with a glint in his eye.

"Why couldn't you just tell me that?"

"You know there are things I can't talk about and I've only just begun to understand the intricacies of what you do for me."

She smiled and teasingly asked, "Well, why can't you just be a good boy and stay that way?"

An unexpected look of confusion and then sadness came over his face. He looked down and when he lifted his head to speak, tears were welling in his eyes, "I offered it to you, but you didn't want it." And his head dropped again.

Putting her hands to his face she said, "Hey, you know it wasn't you I was rejecting, but the idea of being completely responsible for you. And then after considering your graphic metaphors and the sense I got from you, I knew that you would be different. It wouldn't be you."

And though she had fully expected this to be the right thing to say, his tears were flowing more freely now and he said, hurt, "But it is me. At least what is left."

It struck her, then, the mistake she had made in saying what she had said. In her one experiment with him in that state, she had found that she had been both right and wrong in her impression of what he would be like. He did lose the wildness and unpredictability, which would have worn on her, however his love was not dull, but bright and warm and he was so content that it may have made up for the lack of adventurousness (but she selfishly doubted it). His true self, of course, was a perfect angel and unfortunately many of the things she loved in him were actually what was wrong about him.

"It's me then," she said, "I'm to human to appreciate that kind of perfection. I need a bad boy to keep me on my toes."

At this he did smile and put his arms around her. She promised herself that she would try harder with him as they drifted off to sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

After their little "nap," Lucifer and Elizabeth went back to the church, with Lucifer now no longer interested in being anywhere but next to her until she asked him to go check on Luke. He had kissed her all too deeply before he left and she wondered how long it would be before he didn't bother to hide this devotion to her from anyone anymore.

"Where have you both been?" Cassie had asked when she saw that they were back.

"We just needed a break from all of the activity," Elizabeth had said, but Cassie knew that something different had happened by the lack of a saucy remark from Lucifer. After Elizabeth had sent him off she said, "Is that cat going to follow you around everywhere?"

"I think so. Azazeal swears he's a normal cat but he's too smart and far too attached to me already. But he just so cute."

Elizabeth laughed and gave him a rub behind the ears.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Well, you have a basic idea that Lucifer goes from relatively manageable to completely crazy. And he's figured out and pretty much told me exactly how to control it on a case by case basis but…I'm not really comfortable with the ultimate solution."

"And what is that?"

"He says that he has the ability to give up the evil entirely, but if he did, it would be by putting me completely in charge of him…forever."

"How do you mean completely?"

"I mean completely," Elizabeth responded with a frustrated gesture, "He wouldn't do anything that I didn't tell him to, he'd be literally perfect, but the problem is he wouldn't be himself and he'd be boring, you know compared to himself."

"So what! Him being himself isn't exactly…" then seeing the look on Elizabeth's face, "Sorry!"

"As horrible as he is sometimes, to me he's always, well almost always, great…and I mean GREAT. And am not really concerned about his effect on humans because there's evil here without him and he's not nearly as bad as he was, so I don't feel compelled. I really just want to leave him as he is…Is that wrong?"

"This has got to be the strangest thing I've ever heard. The devil, who haunts everyone's nightmares, wants to put you in charge for the good of mankind, and you're not interested. That's epic!" And after a chuckle she added more seriously, "But I think that if you two can work it out it's not wrong. If there's one thing I've learned from these angels, and Azazeal in particular, it's that they probably deserve our pity more than our fear or anger. In fact, Azazeal hinted to me the other day that evil entered the world by means of some sort of accident and that amuses him to no end, though he won't tell me who was responsible. That seems to go along with everything else I know about them and their world."

"Thank you!" Elizabeth said after a moment and hugged her.

* * *

Lucifer came back to Elizabeth and Cassie with a smirk. Both girls looked at him and waited for an explanation. 

"Luke is…well, occupied," he said, letting the smirk grow, "but what it truly spectacular is that your innocent little Sara has quite a devoted following now. I'm impressed, but she's still disappointingly vanilla, but don't worry, I'll dirty that up soon enough."

"What are you going on about?" Cassie exclaimed, alarmed.

"You don't know? She has at least six different lovers, all angels, and I'm betting there are more who she has tested the waters with. I was about to congratulate you on your training plan but I see I was wrong."

"How do you always know this kind of thing? Of course, what's worse is that I actually believe you." She added the last under her breath.

"I pay attention. And besides, I walked in on her and ah…I don't know…someone, while I was looking for my similarly occupied son. And it wasn't Araqiel."

"Oh God!" Cassie said.

"I don't see the problem," Lucifer said.

Both girls responded simultaneously, "Azazeal!"

"He doesn't know?" he said, excited at the prospect.

"Well, he said she could come to me for advice, but I purposely didn't let him know about Araqiel. And don't think he wants to know that she's got all these angels as lovers."

"Oh, I think I want to tell him," Lucifer said delighted, but Elizabeth grabbed his arm before he get away.

"I think that we're just going to have to break it to him, Cassie," Elizabeth said, "It will be worse if he finds out later."

* * *

Luke and Sara ran into each other, literally, trying to sneak back into the main room as if they hadn't escaped to a back room for an hour or so for separate early afternoon rendezvous. 

"Ha, I caught you," Luke said as Sara rammed into him in the hallway.

Sara frowned at him, "Let me go!"

"What have you been up to?" He asked, letting her go and seeing the guilty look on her face.

She just gave him a quick "you know very well what I've been up to" smile.

Then from behind him, not one, but two female angels emerged from the room he must have come from and walked by smiling at him.

"Incredible," Sara said, exasperated, when they'd gone, "Is this some sort of race?"

"Only if you feel the need to keep up, my dear," he said with a smile and a shrug.

The finding her sassy side she said, "Well, you just let me know when you're ready for something a little less…safe," and she walked off as seductively as she could manage, which was far more effective than she realized.

* * *

Despite the use of the word "we," Cassie was actually delegated the task of updating Azazeal on Sara's progress in the area of sex. Naturally, she decided that the best way to tell him was after everyone was gone and…while they were naked. That way he couldn't get very far very fast, she figured. 

That night she slipped in to bed in a little silk nightie that almost never stayed on the whole night. He was tired, she could tell, and he was lying flat on his back with his eyes already closed, but it only took a hand on his chest and a peck on the lips for his interest to be captured.

Before she knew it she'd forgotten all about Sara, her body alive with the feel of his hands and lips and body. Finally, she reached her climax, letting the pleasure fill her and then recede slowly, leaving her weak. She was unhappy with herself for getting distracted but maybe it was for the best. Now she could concentrate.

She had her eyes closed but she knew he was lying next to her propped up on an elbow, watching her as she lie on her back. She let a sexy smile break across her lips before she opened her eyes and said, "I have something to tell you that you're not going to like."

"Really?" he said amused because it couldn't be something serious if she was bringing it up now.

"Yes! And do you know what you're going to do about it?" She said lifting up and pushing him on his back, basically reversing their prior position.

"Not yet," he responded.

"Absolutely nothing," she smiled and put her hand on his chest, her face hovering over him.

"Interesting," he said as he lifted up and tried to catch her mouth but she playfully pushed him back down.

"Sara has developed a taste for several angel lovers and she's very happy with this arraignment so far. And I think she's made some excellent choices, if I do say so myself," Cassie announced, thinking the best way to do this was to be as blunt as possible and follow through on her assertion that he would do nothing.

Azazeal's face grew dark and his eyes turned distant, but Cassie ignored him. She moved to tease his mouth with her own and slipped her hand down his body, stopping just below the belly button.

"I tell you this," she continued as if his expression had not changed, "so that you won't be shocked if you see her one them." She couldn't see his face as she toyed with his mouth in between words but she didn't feel any resistance. She left his mouth to take up a nipple, not bothering check on his attitude, and was rewarded with a pleasant moan and a slight tensing of his body.

"Who exactly has she chosen?" he managed to breath.

Cassie smiled to herself that he couldn't just let it go and casually repositioned herself over him, making sure that all of the appropriate body parts were brushing against him.

"Let me see," she said thinking for a second and then gave him a list of names. He bristled at a few but she chose these times to shift a little and remind him of her body.

"I should kill them," he said suddenly, but more in irritation than in anger.

"Are they not good enough for her? Would human boys be better?"

He looked at her helplessly, "I want her to be happy…" and then his expression changed to the amusement that was hiding underneath, "but Araqiel?"

"Hey, he has qualities that you don't see."

"Does he now?" he said kissing her.

"Yes, but his qualities aren't as interesting as mine," she whispered as she pushed her hips down. She heard him exhale and felt his hips uncontrollably press towards her as he went into her. She had thought she would need to defend Sara and Araqiel further, but she could tell that Azazeal just didn't care any more.

"Do you agree to do nothing?" she asked.

He smiled in agreement and then hungrily kissed her and flipped her over. Unfortunately, for him, her feisty mood meant that he spent a considerable amount of time in tortuous anticipation of his reward for acquiescing, but then again, maybe that was just what he needed to ensure that he kept his word.

"I still can't believe her audacity," Azazeal said later.

"Yeah, I wonder where it comes from."

"I can't imagine."

"You're just jealous because you think they will like her more than they like you," Cassie teased.

* * *

"So I hear you uncovered Sara's little secret." Azazeal said to Lucifer, evenly, a couple of days later. 

"Come on, where's the fury, where's the vengeance?" Lucifer said encouragingly.

Glancing down and then back at Lucifer, he said, "Cassie made a convincing case for letting it go."

"I'll bet she did," he said knowing exactly what he meant.

"I have no defense against her," Azazeal said, his face as close to a blush as it would ever get.

"Welcome to the club."

"I just never thought I would allow myself to be so easily manipulated by a woman."

"They're intoxicating aren't they," Lucifer said appreciatively, "And I, for one, plan on giving in every single time."

"Does Elizabeth know what a push-over you are?" Azazeal said teasingly.

"Oh, she's quite aware of how to manage me and is agonizingly good at it."

Azazeal laughed at him, "You know I always suspected the behind all the maliciousness and the ranting, that you were still in there somewhere. Your unfailing devotion had always been exceedingly irritating, but it turned out to be better than what we had had to live with until she wrapped you around her little finger."

"And you were always such an overly confident know-it-all, but I see that hasn't changed," Lucifer quipped but with an affable smile.


	36. Chapter 36

Azazeal had agreed not to "do" anything about Sara's choice of lovers, but he felt that this didn't mean that he couldn't harass Araqiel about it. So the next time he caught him alone he interrogated him.

"Araqiel, what was it exactly that made you think you were good enough for Sara?" he said with an amused smile.

"I don't understand."

"You had sex with her, didn't you?" he responded with some emphasis on the word sex.

"Yes," Araqiel replied now beginning to understand that Azazeal was annoyed, "She asked me. I had no reason to say no."

"Right, and that's a good enough reason to violate my daughter, I see. You think that just because she's grown that she's fair game. She's still my daughter and she's not for you to amuse yourself with."

Araqiel was a little taken aback by this rant, but was generally used to this type of speech from Azazeal, so he answered simply, "She wanted to learn and I thought that you would want me to do as she asked. It was not for my amusement, but for hers."

Azazeal made an annoyed face again. Only Araqiel could do something like this and then make it seem like it was actually an act of loyalty. Still Azazeal had wanted someone to pay even though it was unavoidable that his Sara would have sex. He was just about to let Araqiel go when Cassie noticed them and the look on Araqiel's face and marched straight over to them. Azazeal quickly told Araqiel to forget about it and just leave and put on his best innocent face for Cassie.

"I'm not even going to ask you what that was about. You agreed!"

"I don't know what you are talking about. Araqiel was just…"

"Nope, I don't want to hear it," Cassie said with a shake of her head and a smile. She'd almost been sure this would happen.

"What I would like to hear is when we're going to make you immortal," he said with a characteristic smile and change of subject, as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Yes, I'm sure you would," she said trying not to smile and failing miserably, "But I think that you're just going to have to make a stronger case for yourself. I mean forever is an awfully long time. I might get sick of you." Cassie said all of this with her most obviously teasing tone and at first Azazeal smiled but then he became more serious.

"You have no idea what it feels like to have you love me after spending so many years destroying everything I came in contact with in pursuit of our petty revenge. I haven't really loved or felt love in centuries, not like this. And you have no idea how confusing it was to have been created to love humans so much and then have them ultimately be the cause of our downfall. We were guided by such a strong will and then suddenly we had no reason not to do anything that occurred to us or to Lucifer, especially whatever seemed to make us forget what we had lost. It feels so good to have you, Malachi, and Sara as reasons to protect something again. And I need you as my reason to reject all the hate, and love instead."

Cassie looked at him with tears staring to well in her eyes.

"I won't take that away from you," she said, "I'm just not ready to, you know, do the deed," and she tried an encouraging smile.

He smiled back now with a naughty smile and pressed against her to whisper in her ear, "Now don't lie, I know you're always up for it," he said, obviously not talking about immortality anymore.

"I'll give you a will to bend to, don't you worry about that," she said in his ear before pulling back to kiss him deeply. He then picked her up easily and carried her off to their room, where she proceeded to surprise him by bringing out intense feelings of submission that he would not have thought to offer on his own. He began to realize what Lucifer had meant about giving in and, although he did not struggle with free will the way that poor Lucifer did, he saw that there was a comfort in not just loving her but letting her inside as well. Of course, now he felt even sillier for having kept so much from her for so long, but he was trying.

* * *

Elizabeth and Lucifer's relationship probably would have carried on much as it always had, with her trying to keep him occupied and focused on her while using her tried and true methods of manipulation, but she had figured out a few things. For one, he was right, if, every once and a while, she forced a deeper surrender from him, she could get the calm she was looking for and it would sometimes last for a few days, depending on how "convincing" she'd been. But even with that, there were still times when she would be at her wits end and she would angrily try to just order him to not do something and he would laugh and do it anyway. She would sometimes think back to the one time a straight order from her had actually worked, when she'd told him to get some self-control, and she realized that if it took as much emotion and force as she'd put into what she'd said to him that day, she'd rarely be able to do it. Of course, once he'd expended the energy and realized that he was in trouble, he was the definition of repentant and always found herself forgiving him. 

Secondly, since his idea had worked so well, relatively speaking, she decided to experiment further with Lucifer as "the servant" as he liked to call it. She'd known from the beginning that his metaphors were just that, Lucifer at his dramatic best, however chaining him to the bed and using his body as her personal plaything was now on her list of things to try. She began to take him away for a few days at a time to get to know that side (after all he'd seemed actually hurt that she hadn't shown an interest in it) and it was a huge help with his wild side, even though it did wear off.

She was actually pleasantly surprised at how much she ended up liking him that way. He had such a warm smile for her all the time that she found it impossible not to enjoy his company. He was of course calm and attentive to her with an uncanny ability to pick desires out of her head, including embarrassing ones if she wasn't careful, and yet he always seemed to know which things were just thoughts and not actually for him to do. He did always look to her for what to do on any real decision but since he was so focused on her and so good at reading any thoughts she released to him that it didn't always feel that way because he would naturally act as her thoughts suggested. Since he wasn't unpredictable she enjoyed taking him to do normal things and found he capable of being a great companion and also still willing to do any outrageous thing she came up with as long as it was her idea. The responsibility of it did sometimes become a little too much at times but she figured that this was his curse; he would always be too much for her to really handle, even when he was perfect.

His personality was also somewhat recognizable underneath but while some things were the same, some were also very different. He knew about everything and would obligingly express a considered opinion if asked though not in his old obnoxious way. He still had a healthy sense of humor, albeit not a nasty one, which seemed to stem from the fact that he thought all of creation was funny its own way. He had the solid confidence that one of the most powerful beings in the universe should have, but she discovered that he was actually quite reserved and almost shy around other people. Because of this she could see more clearly where some of his tension came from. She'd always known that he never wanted to be a leader but had been thrust into the position by being most powerful of the angels in the first fall. She could also now see that he was not naturally the extrovert that Azazeal clearly was and that he usually pretended to be. He was intimate and exclusive and while he didn't mind people, she was the only person he wanted to have any prolonged interaction with, as if having too many demands on his attention was uncomfortable.

These discoveries lead to a few others when they were alone together. She noticed that he would often do and say the exact same things that her other Lucifer had done to show her loved her, to get her attention, or to please her, but they were all very different as well. He was so genuine and present with her, that it seemed as if the Lucifer she'd known all this time had been imitating this version of himself and perhaps had been trying to show it to her all along. Of more interest, in a way, was that in bed he was almost innocent, as if this side of him had never done this before, and she supposed he hadn't. He was aware of what to do but the sensations seemed unfamiliar to him and she would find him looking at her with an expression of helpless adoration each time he felt something new, which initially was quite frequently.

She quickly fell in love with him all over again, but still loved his wicked side too and felt that it would be a shame to lose either one. She hoped he wasn't disappointed that she wanted the best of both worlds. Besides, she couldn't very well take him to Azazeal's this way…what would everyone think?

Lucifer was exceedingly happy to show all this to her and he found that he appreciated the fact that she loved him either way. Although he didn't think to tell her that despite the fact that he had hinted that he had wanted to stay this way forever, he knew it wasn't feasible. It was definitely too much responsibility for her because she hadn't thought of it yet, but if she were to allow malevolent thoughts to enter her head, she could very well be directly responsible for him doing something she would regret.

* * *

It had been decided that Sara and Luke would start attending Mendham when the next term started, much to their disappointment. They had tried to appeal to their fathers but found no help there. Cassie and Elizabeth both firmly believed that they needed to socialize with humans and they kind of wanted them out of the house too. Cassie and Elizabeth were conspiring to have some adventures together with their respective angels in tow and they didn't want to worry about what Sara and Luke were up to. And so the kids were packed off to school. Cassie asked Sara to please not let any humans see her angel lovers and Azazeal suggested that she try not to take control of the whole school, as magnetism was now obviously one of her talents. Elizabeth asked Luke not to break every girl's heart in the whole school, which he was completely capable of doing, and to not do anything illegal, while Lucifer told him that since he was there to learn, it didn't seem to make sense tell him not do anything. 


	37. Chapter 37

Lucifer looked at Elizabeth with a contented gaze at the end of the third day of a stint as his good self. They had gone wine tasting in Italy that day and when they had brought back their spoils, Elizabeth had made dinner and Lucifer had set the table.

"Why are you so happy?" she asked him, as they sat on the couch after dinner.

"I love you," was his response.

Her heart was warmed by this and she told him that she loved him too, but for the briefest of moments her cynical side chuckled at this. She quickly told it to shut up because for him that appeared to be enough to be happy, though she still couldn't figure out why.

After a pause she asked out of curiosity, "How strong are you?"

He smiled and took both of her hands in his. Then closing his eyes, his posture straightened, his shoulders moved back and his head lifted. After a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looking deep into hers, she was transported to a place of complete blackness. He was there before her, hovering slightly above her, his unclothed body seeming to shine from within and his green eyes sparkling. He had broad yet delicate wings of downy white flecked with gold stretched out wide on either side of him. He had gathered his power to him and she could feel it emanating from him and swirling around them both. He was breathtakingly beautiful and devastatingly powerful and he was displaying himself for her like a peacock for its mate. She heard him in her head say proudly, "All of this is yours," and she felt the meaning of this echo through her body and almost bring her to the brink of understanding.

But then suddenly something was wrong and it felt as if he'd remembered that he was broken and this was not as it should be. His expression changed to one of baffled sadness and she could see the tears coming. She moved towards him immediately and by the time she reached him, he was at her level and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She felt his arms around her and then the unmistakable feel of soft, feathered wings also enveloped her, but when she opened her eyes, they were on the couch again. He pulled away and after a quick glance in her eyes, he looked down at his lap. Then looking back up at her, he hesitantly at first, but then with certainty, smiled at her warmly and she smiled back.

When Elizabeth had asked Lucifer about the differences between his two sides, he would only say that everything just felt different and so he acted differently. His good side didn't really want to talk about his bad side while his bad side took great delight in the reminding her of things he'd done while good that amused him now that he was bad again. She couldn't tell if he did this to tease her or embarrass her, which was highly likely, or to try to tell her that he remembered and regretted that he couldn't do those things now. It was strange, dealing with his two sides, but Elizabeth got used to this new development and the advantages that it afforded, but still kept it hidden from everyone.

* * *

With the children out of the house, Cassie and Elizabeth immediately began to get started on their plans to have more fun together. To their delight, they found Azazeal and Lucifer more obliging than they had thought they would be. For quite some time they spent more time away from their respective homes than at home, but all four of them individually snuck off to see Sara and Luke so much that the kids felt that their parents had never left. 

With Cassie and Elizabeth's powers now nearly identical, they entertained each other by experimenting with them, however it also amused them to conveniently "forget" what they were capable of so that they would need some help from their lovers. Initially, they were scolded for this but eventually it seemed that the boys figured it out. They just couldn't help being girls when they were having so much fun.

One particularly brilliant idea that they had come up with, after a long stint at home, was to send the boys on a treasure hunt to find them. They had placed or identified clues around the world which would eventually lead them to were the girls were waiting for them a their next vacation spot. Azazeal was reservedly intrigued, he liked challenges, and Lucifer feigned boredom with the idea, but actually found it quite clever, especially when he discovered how difficult they had made the clues. The girls had figured that since Lucifer knew just about everything and Azazeal had practical knowledge about the world it wouldn't take them long at all if they didn't work hard to make it tricky. There was also a time constraint to add to the difficulty.

"All I want to know is what do I get at the end of this," Lucifer said with a grin.

"I have to agree with him, Cassie, what's our incentive?" Azazeal added with a grin of his own.

"We'll be there," Cassie said, as sexy as ever.

"Yes, but you're already here," Lucifer said, trying to annoy her, "I'm looking for something a little more…tantalizing," he said turning to Elizabeth.

"I'm open to suggestions," Elizabeth responded.

Lucifer leaned forward and whispered something in her ear and her eyebrows lifted in response.

"I've been wondering when you'd want to turn the tables a bit. I'm all yours…assuming you can find me."

While this exchange had been going on Azazael had said to Cassie, "You know the only thing that I want."

"Yes, but I don't think I could do it in front of our friends," she teased, knowing very well that he was not referring to sex.

"Then I guess I'll settle for the pleasure of your company," he suggested with a playful smile.

"You'd better not," she said.

* * *

And so the girls disappeared to Maui where they expected that the boys would find them in less than 2 hours. They had rented a large, beautiful house on the west side of the island, but were waiting for them at a specific place on the beach…in bikinis, of course (their vacation had already started). They were found in just under an hour, which made them glad they had taken so much time in creating complex clues. 

They took them back to the house and both Azazeal and Lucifer admired their choice of location. Then the girls took great delight in getting them out of their usual clothes, which didn't vary hardly at all, into more island appropriate attire, which entailed simple board shorts and occasionally a t-shirt or tanktop. They kept to simple colors because you just can't put an angel in a Hawaiian shirt…you just can't. It was at this point that they discovered, or rather Lucifer announced, that clothing was neither particularly interesting nor required. To Cassie's surprise, Azazeal confirmed this with a smile and a shrug, however after a brief consultation with each other the girls decided that they would all stick to clothing for now. They both agreed, however, that it did explain the nudity that went on at home that they had always separately wondered about.

This was also the first real opportunity that they had to appreciate each other's man. Azazeal was tall and slight with beautifully delicate features that were very appealing, even more so when his skin tanned a little in the sun. His watery blue-grey eyes, of course, were his best feature but that didn't mean that his body left anything to be desired. Lucifer was a bit taller, wider, and thicker all around but while he was well muscled, it was perfectly proportioned to his size. He looked…exceptionally useful, for lack of a better descriptive term. He already had lightly tanned skin, deep green eyes, and dark, almost black, hair that was slightly grown out and relatively untamed but always looked just right.

Cassie was, of course, gorgeous in her bikini with her beautiful blond hair and her stunning blue eyes. She was by far more striking than Elizabeth who had long, lightish brown hair that had always naturally streaked blond in the sun and hazel eyes. However, everything about Elizabeth (the roundness of her hips, her breasts, her walk) screamed woman and sex appeal and she knew how to use it.

When Azazeal and Lucifer caught each other admiring their lovers, the girls were treated to a little staring match, which abruptly, and somewhat surprisingly, ended with Lucifer demanding his reward as he was not willing to wait any longer than was absolutely necessary. Elizabeth knowingly incited him further by offering him her upturned wrists in surrender, which he grabbed with one hand as they vanished.

When they were alone Azazeal wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"What was that about?" Cassie asked.

"We're very possessive," was his simple response.

"Well, we weren't the ones who wanted to make this a nudist colony."

But Azazeal ignored her and started to kiss her neck.

"So, what do you have planned for me?" Cassie continued.

"I can't decide where to start," he whispered.

"I have a few ideas," she said seductively, but he had transported them to a bedroom and she now felt herself pressed against one of the walls rather roughly but not uncomfortably. She smiled to herself and pushed into him, so that he had to press her back again. She didn't know why but there was always something amazingly sexy about him when he seemed just a bit dangerous.

* * *

Several weeks later, Elizabeth opened her eyes in their dark room in California just before sunrise. She rolled over and Lucifer was not there. She felt a flash of worry because their travels had kept her from doing some of the things she needed to do to keep him even keel and he'd been acting strange recently. She quickly got up and threw on her robe. She found him in the yard, dressed in his usual all black, staring into the place where the sun was just beginning to brighten the sky. She walked up behind him and put her arms around him, her head pressed against his back in between his shoulder blades. 

"What would please you most this morning, my love?" he asked as he did every morning, but today there was a hint of sadness.

"A dry Fall wind," she said, remembering how much she loved that season, "and to know what is bothering you."

He turned to her with an introspective smile, but seemed pleased that she had asked.

"It worries me that you always take me away when you ask me to be your servant for a few days, as if it embarrasses you or you worry that I will hate you if you show that side of me to our friends. But," and here he laughed quietly, "They all know. They've always known because they know who I am. They've just been waiting, like I have in my way, for you to figure it out. And you have, to an extent…but Elizabeth, I am afraid…afraid that I will still lose you. Afraid that I will do something terribly wrong again or you will get frustrated with me and you will give up on me because you do not truly understand."

"What is it that I don't understand?"

"You may do what you like with me, Elizabeth, I am yours," he said quietly.

"I know," she said but he knew she was just acknowledging the fact that he'd said that before.

"But you don't really understand all that it means. I have talked to Azazeal and I know that you may have come to the limit of your comprehension, but I think that part of you will be able to understand. I will be calm and quiet when you ask and I will be wild when it pleases you and I am happy either way because it's what you want. But you must understand that you cannot embarrass me, you cannot scare me away, and you cannot exhaust my love for you. But when I say: whatever you desire, ask of me …it makes you uncomfortable, because you know that I mean it in the most explicit of ways and you do not understand how I can feel that way. You get caught up in the details of how and why and what must I be thinking, but none of that matters. Making you happy is sublimely fulfilling, even when it means doing nothing or that I must make up for a mistake."

"But why is it so important that I understand that?"

"Because if you understand that, you may be able to understand that I am never completely beyond your control. I would do anything for you and I don't need a reason, it just sometimes takes a strong enough command. I know that you may think that I mean that my mistakes are your fault, but my current state of unruliness was not your doing and you have a lot to accept and learn. I just ask that you to try to understand that if I displease you, it is never my intention, no matter how horrible I've been. Do your worst, but I beg you, do not abandon me."

"I don't know what to say," she said, reaching up to touch his face.

"Please just say that you will never leave me, because that is the only thing that terrifies me. To have tried to give everything only to be tossed aside again…and I would still love you anyway… it would destroy me."

"I will never leave you! How could you think I would ever do that to you?" she said full of concern, rather than surprise.

"Because it has happened before. You have been always been different, always been willing to take me back. I've known that even when you've been furious with me, but I fear that maybe one day you will give up because you cannot see that my fate is in your hands."

She hugged him tightly and said firmly, "I understand and I will always be with you. And when Cassie decides to let Azazeal make her immortal, and she will, you will do the same for me." He kissed her and she could feel something in him relax at this assurance.

* * *

_Okay, no more chapters until there are some reviews from the lurkers, or anybody really, but especially the lurkers. It's just not as fun without the interction. Tell me what you like, don't like, or want to see. Or you'll never know what Sara and Luke are doing at school..._


	38. Chapter 38

_Thank you to everyone who humored me! Read on!_

* * *

Sunday had become an unspoken "family" day and Luke, Elizabeth, and Lucifer would invariably make an appearance at Cassie and Azazeal's church for a few hours to visit with whoever happened to be dropping by. This morning, however, everyone was in for a small surprise. When Luke saw his father before they left, he immediately did a double-take and then gave him an amused smile. 

"Good morning," he said.

His father smiled back also amused and said, "Do you need me to explain?"

"No," Luke said, "I know far more about the two of you than you give me credit for. In fact, I've just won several bets and I can't wait to collect."

Lucifer laughed at this and said, "Glad I could help."

* * *

When they arrived at the church, Luke broke off to join Malachi, Ella, and Sara, while Elizabeth went directly over to Cassie and Azazeal. Azazeal gave Lucifer a brief questioning look and then smiled broadly. He actually gave him a hug, saying that he was glad to see him and calling him by his old name. 

"Cassie," Lucifer said, acknowledging her with a polite smile, but she was unsure of what was going on so she didn't respond.

"So you're back are you?" Azazeal asked, and Cassie noticed a slightly worried look cross Elizabeth's face.

"For a little while," was Lucifer's reply as Cassie watched him reach back to take Elizabeth's hand without looking, as if in response to her worry. Then turning to Elizabeth, who had delicately projected the idea that she wanted to be alone with Cassie and Azazeal, Lucifer said, "I think I'll go and circulate a bit. Luke tells me he has won a few bets and needs evidence." He casually lifted the hand that he was holding and kissed it before leaving her.

"Well, he's certainly different" Cassie said a bit snotty. She wasn't sure why but some how that little act annoyed her and seeing Elizabeth so worried didn't sit well with her.

Ignoring her, which fueled her irrtation, Azazeal said to Elizabeth, "You know, no one will expect you to keep him that way. It is too much for you and you've done enough already. It can never be truly perfect. Just use it to help you."

"Thank you for that." Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth was looking at Lucifer across the room who was soon to be surrounded by a crowd of angels happy to see him and Elizabeth knew that even more would come once the word got out.

The three of them sat down together and talked of other things, but Cassie was still bothered by this thing that no one would talk about. She didn't realize that Elizabeth had really already given her the information that she needed and that Elizabeth was just too on edge to see Cassie's confusion.

* * *

Upon seeing Lucifer approach them, Malachi did a double take of his own and Luke immediate said, "You'd better pay up, buddy." 

"Oh, I will," Malachi said still staring at Lucifer.

Ella asked him, "What's all this about?"

"I'll tell you later…Lucifer, you ungrateful fool, I had money riding on you!"

"Malachi, you always lose. Why do you bother?" Lucifer responded with a smile.

* * *

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth noticed Lucifer start to come back over to them, but didn't think anything of it as she continued her conversation with Cassie and Azazeal. Then, unexpectedly, Lucifer did one of the very few things that he really seemed to do on his own, never for any particular reason that she could find, but which Elizabeth had, in a way, gotten used to over the past several weeks. In the most natural of ways, Lucifer had approached her, fluidly knelt and kissed both of her feet before lifting his head to smile up at her. She did her best to smile back and mentally suggested that he sit next to her, which, of course, he did. She was thoroughly embarrassed and mortified because everyone saw, but at least it was in a pleasant way. Although there was part of her that believed that he had done it on purpose to show her that he would not hide this. 

Cassie, of course, stared at him, thinking that this was the result of some new stupid thing he had done. She asked rather forcefully, "Are you going to do that all the time now?"

He looked at her not really catching her meaning and replied, "When the mood strikes me." Which seemed to Cassie as a typical snide remark from him.

"Sorry," Elizabeth said to Cassie, "I wasn't paying attention."

Cassie looked confused and Lucifer turned to Elizabeth and asked, "What are you sorry for?"

Azazeal laughed at them all and got dirty looks from both Cassie and Elizabeth. When Cassie turned back to Lucifer she saw him looking at Elizabeth with such genuine love and concern, it shocked her. Azazeal leaned close to whisper to her in an amused tone.

"I thought you knew about this. He is in a state of complete devotion to her. He has no will but hers, until she gives it back to him."

"But…?"

"This is as close as you will ever get to seeing him like he was in heaven. So you might was well enjoy it while it lasts."

In fact, by the end of the day, Cassie had begun to like Lucifer quite a bit, but it was certainly hard to get him away from Elizabeth long enough to have a conversation with her. Elizabeth tried to apologize for not telling her a lot of the things that had happened between them recently but it was all getting very personal. Cassie understood and hinted that she an Azazeal still had their share of things to figure out too.

* * *

A few days later Cassie had gotten up the courage to ask Azazeal about something Elizabeth had said to her. She and Azazeal both knew, but didn't talk about the fact that they were still trying to find their peace. She loved him deeply but there were still things that he struggled with that he did not completely share with her. 

"Elizabeth hinted that you might be able to show me what you were like as an angel."

This caught his attention and as he smiled to himself at the idea, unconsciously his head lifted proudly.

"I want to see," she said encouragingly.

"It is not what I am any more," he replied, affecting expression of indifference.

"Why do you always hide from me?"

"Why do you refuse me?" he shot back.

"Why is everything so wrapped up in making me immortal? Lucifer doesn't…

"He barely realizes how fragile she is. He has no concept," Azazeal snapped, not really at her but at the idea. "He fears nothing but that he will somehow put himself beyond her forgiveness."

After a pause he went on, almost angrily as if that was the only way he could say these things, "I still fear that I may destroy you and what we have together. I worry that your love for me will fade. Each time you are out of my sight, I am tormented with thoughts that you might be hurt and killed and just as simply as that, you are gone," he suddenly turned his face to her with a look of helplessness. "How can I…?"

He could not finish this question because he did not know how to describe to her what he was looking for. He loved her so strongly, as only an angel could, but there was an uncertainty between them that ate at him and caused his obsessive worry. He was just not built to deal with this uncertainty and his arrogance and pushiness would flare up when he was uncomfortable. In his way, he had been trying to tell her what he needed all along, but if he was honest with himself, he had also been hoping that their love for each other would be enough.

He needed a goal, a mission, a place by her side, but he could not express this to her and was actually terrified of needing it because he felt useless. It did not help that, having known his place so clearly, and he had lost it so quickly and innocently, as least in his estimation, without the opportunity to show Him that he was not bad. This was compounded further by the fact that he had been purposely gifted with his charismatic and influential manner in order to guide and protect the early humans but the very talents that he was created to use seemed to cause mistrust in Cassie. These feelings of uncertainty had been growing since after Sara's birth. In a strange way, he had found at least some certainty when he had loved Cassie in vain, when he had fought to stop the end of days, when he had sacrificed himself to save her and Malachi, and when he was helping to raise Sara.

If she had known what she was looking for, she would have seen that he had always tried to be what she wanted to show her that he was useful. He had tried to protect her and thought that maybe if he did that well enough he could find peace, but it was never enough, which was partially why the idea of making her immortal was so fixed in his head. He had tried being normal, hiding his powers, to see if that would some how bring her closer to him and then when that didn't work he had tried to help her increase her powers. He had opened up to her, surrendered parts of himself to her, and she now knew more of his story than any human, but she hadn't pick up on what was lacking, but of course he was far more subtle than Lucifer.

And why was it that he could not throw himself at her feet as Lucifer had done with Elizabeth from the beginning? It was utter foolishness, that was why, but Lucifer knew no other way, and it had worked, at least in part, because he was capable of doing it with such abandon. It was uncomplicated for Lucifer because intense emotions and feelings did not scare him. He was created for them. As soon as he had fixed on Elizabeth, it had basically initiated a series of acts of increasing devotion that would continue infinitely and which in now naturally included acts to secure forgiveness when he inevitably made mistakes. And since Lucifer was a being of such extreme devotion and intensity of feeling, he did not differentiate between suffering for her forgiveness, emotionally or physically as necessary, and the pleasure of pleasing her, loving her, and being loved by her, so there would be no discouraging him. The only thing that could silence Lucifer forever lay so deep in Elizabeth's being that it was practically ridiculous to consider, and yet it he feared it deeply: profound and absolute rejection. It would take quite a bit less to discourage Azazeal.

Almost crying now, not knowing what to do or what the answer was, his only thought was that she had asked to see him as an angel. His mind was in a place where this now seemed like a simple request and was preferable to remaining in his current state of mind, so he moved towards her, took her hands, and after a pause to collect himself looked deep into her eyes.

She was immediately transported to what appeared to be the abyss with its grey swirling mists and there was Azazael standing in front of her with a brightness that made her smile, his eyes looking at her expectantly with a glow of love. It reminded her of the look he had given her when he had rambled on about baby strollers many months ago. She felt inexplicability drawn to him and wanted to trust him for no particular reason.

She then noticed that he had wings that were neatly folded behind him, which were edged with red, a color he had always seemed to like, and gold. She walked towards him, gave him a quick kiss and then glanced at the crest of the wing that was over his left shoulder. He obligingly extended the wing and she put her hand on the top edge, feeling how soft it was. Lost in her fascination and she proceeded to run her hand along the top edge of the wing until she was at the tip, several feet away from him, not noticing him close his eyes and sigh softly. She tugged gently at one of the feathers at the tip of his wing and he instinctively pulled in out of her hand. She looked over to him and he have her a look of playful irritation, but he was still smiling at her. Then he shook the wing and refolded it.

She walked back over to him, still in wonder at this amazing illusion, and could not help herself from walking carefully behind him, so as not to step on the tips of his wings that trailed on the ground. He turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye, "They're just wings," he said amused but also pleased by her attention.

"I know," she said, "but when will I ever get a chance to do this again?" She was smiling like a child.

She reached out and put her hand on his back in the place in between where the wings met his back. He slowly extended both wings this time and then stretched them, his back muscles rippling, as if they had been cooped up too long and it felt good to do this. Then, he delicately shook them again and refolded them, so he could turn around to her. He was looking at her expectantly again and Cassie said, "What?" with a smile on her face and a questioning look.

But this one word took the glow out of his eyes and wiped the look off of his face. His head dropped a little and he was no longer looking at her. He was unworthy he knew it. She had no use for him. She loved him but he was like an old toy that is broken but you still keep because it holds some small amount of meaning. He had already failed all those years ago, so it shouldn't surprise him that there was no purpose for him now.

Cassie had moved towards him and had wrapped her arms around him, trying to speak to him, but he did not hear her. In a blink, they were back in their room and when he looked at her now there was a cold distance in his eyes that had always provoked her. She wanted to push him for some sort of explanation but she knew this mood well, so she let him go and racked her brain for an answer to what could possibly have happened.


	39. Chapter 39

A few days later, Azazeal was acting relatively normal again, but while part of him knew that Cassie just didn't understand, most of him had just resigned himself to his situation. Now that the knowledge of what he needed was an unavoidable reality in his mind it was impossible for him not to think of her as being fully aware of his unworthiness and that she was just not ready to forgive it yet. And so he waited, he loved her still, his faults were not her doing, and he didn't want to be anywhere else. He would be here for her, and he would live with the uncertainty, in the hopes that she would eventually find a use for him.

* * *

Not really knowing the depth of his sadness, to distract herself from her dilemma with Azazeal, Cassie decided to visit the kids at school one late afternoon once classes were over. It was always amusing to see old friends and have them ask after her and when she was coming back to school, knowing that her second child was now attending school there right now. 

Sara had quickly become the most popular girl in school, even though there was the predictable group of girls who pretended to hate her. She was more interested in society, and boys, than in her school work, but she was too smart to get bad grades. She was careful about manipulating people and mostly just used her natural magnetism to have the fun she wanted, but there were occasions where a pushing a teacher just a bit was very lucrative. She and Luke were well known friends and everyone thought that they should get together but they insisted that they were childhood friends and weren't interested in each other.

Luke was king of the school. He was captain of all of the sports teams and by far the best athlete in the school. He was also an outstanding flirt, but was actually much more careful than Sara in his interaction with these young girls. In class, he was generally bored and he hated writing, but whenever there was the opportunity to create something, in art class or for a project, he would always come up with the most amazingly crafted things. He deftly managed the contrast between the jock and the creative genius with a nonchalant humility, which made all of the girls love him even more.

Malachi and Ella had recently relocated themselves back in the area after several months of lord-knows-what in Las Vegas and spent quite of bit of time getting Luke and Sara in trouble. Cassie noted how close her son and Ella were now and was glad for them. Malachi had told her that Ella still had her powers and had not heard from "upstairs" since Raphael had left her alone. He had also told his mother that Ella had had some trouble readjusting to a more normal existence after all of the years of death and pain and intrigue. Cassie was proud when Malachi told her that he was glad to be able to help Ella considering that it was his father than had done much of the damage.

Cassie knocked at Sara's door and conveniently found all four of them there watching a horror movie of some kind that made Cassie glad she would be going home to a angel in her bed.

"How can you guys watch this stuff?"

"Oh, come on mom, don't act all old," Malachi said.

"I've never liked this kind of movie, thank you very much."

"I'll bet porn is your preference," Luke suggested.

"Yeah, probably lots of flesh," Sara jumped in.

"Female flesh," Ella gave Cassie a knowing look.

"You've got something more along those lines, don't you, Sara." Malachi said.

"Hey, no ganging up on me," Cassie laughed, "And besides, porn is so not necessary if you have any kind of imagination," she tried to say as seriously as she could manage with a big smile on her face.

"I like how you think!" Luke said.

Just then Malachi got a phone call on his cell phone and he left, saying that he would be back soon. When he did come back he was counting money in his hand and then after a brief glance at his mother, he folded it and put it in his pocket.

"What's that?" Cassie asked, not being able to help herself.

"Money."

"Where did it come from?" she tried to ask casually.

He smiled, seeming to consider how he should answer, and then said, "I just sold some pot to the guys down the hall."

Cassie leaped to her feet, "You did what?"

"You heard me."

"You can do that."

"Actually, I can and it's quite a good little business."

"Malachi, all of you can do what you like, but those guys…they could get really messed up."

"It's just pot!" Malachi said, looking to Luke, Sara, and Ella for support but none of them were willing back him up, as none of them had known that his little drug supply was not just for them.

Cassie considered for the briefest of moments saying that she was going to tell Azazael and then laughed at herself not only because Azazeal wouldn't care but also because if he did say something to Malachi it would be for her and it would be such a typical mother/father thing.

"Look, I don't want you to be the school's drug supplier, okay, and I don't care that they'll get it somewhere else or that is 'just' anything."

"Fine," he said as indifferently as he could but it still sounded like a son after being scolded by his mother.

* * *

Sara had managed to secure an appointment with Lucifer to learn some deviant things. She had made him promise not to bring or tell Luke which he agreed to with an amused smile, saying that he suspected Luke would figure this out for himself. Sara arrived at their home in California and Elizabeth said that she didn't want to know what they were going to be up to so that she didn't have to lie to anyone, but she was smiling as she said this. When Lucifer and Sara arrived at a wonderfully seedy sex club, an appreciative smile spread across Sara's face. She was going to learn a lot here. 

"Alright," Lucifer started, "it's really very simple."

"Of course," Sara said with smile and a shrug, making fun of how easy he always made everything sound.

"Take him for example," and he pointed out a normal looking young man talking to a woman dressed completely in shiny leather. He looked like a cocky ladies man and very out of place but he was obviously here for a reason. "What do you think he wants?"

"I don't know, maybe he wants to be dominated."  
"Are you going to participate or just guess? You need to focus your thoughts and get into his head."

Sara rolled her eyes but did what he suggested. When the images came to her, she inhaled sharply in surprise and turned to Lucifer, her eyes wide.

"You see, it's much more specific isn't it? You have the capability of knowing exactly what your prey wants and being able to give it to them in perfect, graphic detail. Fun, huh?"

Her shock turned to delight and she tried a few more.

"Now, all you have to do is get some practice because knowing is different than doing, but at least you have their fantasy to guide you. Go and wreak some havoc! But remember there is something to be said for a slow build up."

Sara happily went off to carefully experiment, there were rooms for such things, with Lucifer watching over her more closely than she realized. He was quite impressed with her progress, but when she came back to collect him as he flirted with a small group of devotees who were all into very different kinds of bizarre things, he said only, "Be careful how you use this. Not everyone is ready to have their deepest desire given to them."

He took her home and Sara went off to bed with the impression that Lucifer was soon to be in trouble for unceremoniously waking Elizabeth with ideas of doing some unconventionally things. But when Lucifer slipped into bed next to Elizabeth, he only nuzzled at her neck to wake her and let her know he was home.

"Ah oh, I'm in for it now," Elizabeth said.

"Mmm, I have been reminded of all sorts of deliciously nasty things I should do to you. But where to start…where to start."

"Be gentle," she pleaded playfully.

"I'm afraid that's not part of anything I have planned for you," he replied wickedly. When she kissed him, she knew that while he might not be gentle, he would not hurt her. He loved to threaten but had never followed through on anything that put him in a position of absolute physical dominance over her, although he could get rough, and he was not interested in inflicting any real pain. Tonight, she was intrigued to find that when it came to his own body, he didn't want the slightest bit of control and once she had been pleased, he gave himself over to her completely, kissing her hands as she tied his wrists tightly to the bedposts…

_(Now that's hot! Sorry, returning to writer mode.)_

* * *

"What's wrong with him?" Ramiel whispered to Araqiel as they waited for Azazeal to give them their orders. 

"I think he's depressed," Araqiel said helpfully with an assuring nod after a moments thought.

"Yes, but why?"

"I'll ask him…," but Ramiel quickly grabbed him.

"Let's just leave it alone shall we."

"But…"

"We'll go to Lucifer. I'm not willing to get into trouble and we'll never get anything done while he's like this."

* * *

"You've certainly done a number on him, haven't you?" Lucifer hissed angrily behind Cassie and she jumped forward away from him in surprise. He'd snuck up on her, as he often did, but he was truly angry this time, not just playing. 

He had learned from Sara, Araqiel and Ramiel that there was a problem between Cassie and Azazeal and he had taken in upon himself to get involved. When he'd seen Azazeal he knew immediately that the fool had finally admitted to himself that he was lost and needed more than her love. Azazeal was now in a downward spiral of self-effacing despair, because she hadn't caught on yet and he felt that asking was not his place because he was so undeserving. Predictable! And now Lucifer had to pick up the pieces.

"Lucifer, I truly don't know what I've done… I…"

Lucifer's expression softened but he was still annoyed.

"I suppose he's not as blatant as I am but he's still an angel and you've helped everyone but him."

"But…"

"Your love is not enough," Lucifer interrupted, "As sweet as that would be."

"What does he need?" She asked after a pause.

Normally, Lucifer would have admonished her for this question, but getting to the point he just snapped, "He could probably bring about peace in the Middle East, that's how good he is with you humans." But then more evenly, "But really he just wants to be of use to you. It's really very simple."

She thought about this and she began to realize that she'd been a bit foolish in not wondering what Azazael would need, but part of her suspected that she wasn't wrong that this need had really become pressing only more recently. They had had a lot to distract them in the initial months of their relationship.

"And I will also tell you this so that he doesn't have to," Lucifer continued, "He needs to know that you will not leave him, even if he makes a mistake, and that if you run out of ideas, it doesn't mean…what he thinks it does." And with that Lucifer left her.


	40. Chapter 40

Just a few days later Sara, Luke, Ella, and Malachi were sitting on the grass at Mendham in the afternoon chatting when Luke noticed a man standing under the hanging tree watching them. He was dressed in a nice modern suit and jacket that you could tell was navy blue even from a distance. He had neatly combed brown hair and one hand casually in his pocket. He wouldn't have looked out of place if he hadn't been standing so still and wasn't so focused on them.

"Hey, who's that?" Luke asked.

No one had a responded, but when Luke turned to look at their faces he saw that Ella seemed to have the answer.

"Ella?"

"Uh, that's Michael."

"What, a magical-ex-boyfriend of some kind?" Malachi said immediately due to her reaction to him.

"No, that's Michael, THE Archangel."

They all looked at him again and they could just see a smile creep across his face before he turned to go.

* * *

The kids had intended to inform their parents of this visitation but before they had a chance, Michael had already begun to make his rounds. Cassie and Elizabeth were having lunch in town when suddenly this handsome man slipped down in a chair at their table and smiled at them winningly. Nothing much shocked them any more but this indeed something new. They smiled back pleasantly, not realizing who or what he was. 

"Why don't you join us?" Elizabeth said friendly but a slight sarcastic edge.

"Thank you!" he said.

"I'm Cassie, what's your name?"

"Michael," he said and then turned to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth," she said.

"Good," he said, "Now I know which is which."

This statement puzzled them but Cassie said, "So you don't look like you're from around here, what brings you to our little town?"

"Business," he said, "I have some deals to wrap up and then I can head home."

"Yeah? Where are you from? Cassie's from here but I'm from California."

"Everywhere, really, I travel a lot."

"That must be hard. And it must be really hard to keep a girlfriend," Cassie said, prying a little because she still didn't understand why he would just sit down with them.

"Yes, I suppose that would make it hard, but I'm not really made for relationships," he said still smiling pleasantly like he talked to humans like this all the time.

"What a shame!" Elizabeth interjected.

Here he gave a little laugh, "It may be a shame but my work is very important."

"But what could be more important than love?" Cassie asked with an amused glance at Elizabeth who she could tell was just as confused as she was.

Ignoring her question and looking from one of the girls to the other, he said, "In fact, my work has a lot to do with the both of you."

"Does it, now?" Elizabeth said.

"Yes, I will be visiting your lovers, I have some interesting news for them both, but before I do that I wanted to meet you both and I must say I'm quite impressed."

"Who are you exactly?" Cassie said now suspicious.

"I told you," he said and now he was amused.

"The Archangel, right?" Elizabeth said after a pause.

"Yes, very good."

"And what's your news?"

"I'm afraid I'm not a liberty to say but I'm sure you will be told. However, I do have one item to discuss with you both. We are aware that you may accept immortally to remain with your respective angels. I am sent to inform you that if you do this, your fates will be combined and tied together for eternity." He said this matter-of-factly as if this didn't potentially mean…

"So we could go to hell?" Cassie asked.

"Well, since there is no actual location designated as 'hell' in the way that you mean I should say no but in the sense that you may not be in heaven, I can say yes. But the two of you both know Lucifer and he's not in charge of a flaming pit or anything like that." Michael laughed at the image that Cassie had unknowingly projected with her question.

The girls looked at each other with concern.

"I must take my leave of you now, but it was very nice to meet you both." And he rose, smiled at both of them and left them as they starred after him.

They considered rushing off to tell Azazeal and Lucifer but decided that Michael must want to see them alone and was probably already with at least one of them. So they finished their meal, discussing his announcement and speculating as to what his news to Azazeal and Lucifer would be.

When they were finished they found that their bill had been taken care of and that he had left something for each of them, which the waiter brought to their table. They both received a little box containing a gold chain necklace bearing a religious medal also cast in gold. Cassie's appeared to be the guardian angel medal that everyone is familiar with where an angel is watching over two children, only upon closer inspection it was not what she expected. The angel was Azazeal with his beautiful wings spread wide, looking protectively down on young versions of Sara and Malachi with a third figure in between the children, her arms around them both…and that figure was Cassie.

For Elizabeth the medal bore the well-known image of Michael with his wings and his flaming sword defeating Lucifer but if you looked closely the figures again bore an eerie resemblance to the real individuals. In this version, Michael appeared sad with one foot in the center of Lucifer's back, about to cut off his wings and Lucifer had an expression of pained confusion. It should have been disturbing but there was something poignant about the moment that it captured.

* * *

Michael appeared to Lucifer in Elizabeth's home in California, which was enough to put him in an immediate rage. 

"Are you so bored Michael that you need to pick a fight? I'd be very happy to oblige, but I'd rather take it outside."

"I'm not here for a fight," Michael said seriously.

"Oh well, maybe next time."

"Lucifer, what have you done?" Michael said in a forcefully challengingly tone.

After a short pause, Lucifer's attitude changed and he responded evenly but with anger underneath, "What I had to."

"But she's nothing, just clay, not worthy, remember?"

"Not to me," with more anger creeping into his voice.

"Explain to me how this is what you want. She's not really capable of keeping you under control, and she tries her best, but she just not strong enough for you to completely give over your will, and then when you inevitably do something wrong, you go crawling back to her and she punishes you," he finished mockingly.

Lucifer gave a slight laugh and answered thoughtfully, "As comforting as it is when I am completely under her control, there is something extremely powerful in surrendering to her over and over again, giving in each time of my own free will. And when I am disobedient," here he gave him a naughty smile, "I get what I deserve."

"So it's a new sexual fetish then, is it?" Michael said, well aware of Lucifer appetites.

"How dare you!"

"I know what goes on between you two."

"If you'd actually been paying any attention at all," Lucifer responded, extremely angry now, "you'd know how I feel about her and you know why I go back to her. And it's not worthwhile trying to explain to you what physical sensations feel like, you'd never understand, and obviously you've already misinterpreted how I experience them. What a shame!"

"Yes," Michael responded, his attitude changing instantly from challenging to approving, a bright smile lighting up his face, "You do love her, don't you? And you try so hard for her, old friend, but sometimes it takes more than love to conquer you in the way you need to be conquered." He paused for a moment before he continued. "She prays for you, did you know that, even when she has almost hated you. She prays that you will be allowed to stay together and that she will have the strength to help you."

Lucifer's eyes began to well up with tears despite himself, "And will her prayers be answered?"

"There is no need," Michael responded cheerily, "Between the two of you, you've really answered them yourselves. You've already given her all the strength she really needs and as you have seen fit to devote yourself to her so thoroughly and she has agreed to take you on, the Lord accepts this truce of sorts. Not that you asked for permission to elevate her to such an astonishing place in your heart. You've both caused quite a stir in heaven, let me tell you, but I always believed that this wasn't just one of your tricks."

"It's nice to know that someone up there believes me."

"I'm not the only one, but I still cannot understand it. How can she replace…?"

Lucifer smiled at this, "You know, it's very strange, but I think that now I would actually chose her over Him and even I can't explain that. Of course, I had assumed that I had further damned myself once I realized that," and Lucifer gave Michael a questioning look with this last sentence, wondering why God was not jealous, but then realizing that he no longer cared.

"I do not know His mind, He's always been a mystery, you know that." And with that Michael left him.

* * *

Azazeal was sitting in his study alone thinking of Cassie, when Michael walked in the room. Azazeal looked up at his visitor and smiled despite his sad thoughts. 

"Michael, it's been a long time."

"Yes, it has."

Azazeal waited for Michael to speak knowing that the only reason he would be visiting him was with a message of some kind from above.

"I've been sent to tell you that the fallen will be given a chance to redeem themselves and you have been chosen to announce this to them."

This blunt pronouncement surprised Azazeal and despite his suspicions that this might be the case, he was shocked to hear it confirmed.

"Shouldn't you be telling Lucifer this? He's…our leader."

"It was your choice to stop Lucifer has ultimately given them all a chance to change their fate. But I have seen him as well, for we had other matters to discuss."

"And he will have his chance too?"

"I told him only that the Lord considers his relationship with Elizabeth as a truce and that he may remain with her for the time being." Michael's eyes smiled when he said this an Azazeal knew that Lucifer was also being given a chance but that it had been decided to approach him differently.

"You know I don't think he's being given enough credit, he's completely in love with her, beyond their arrangement. He's not going to fly off the handle or do anything rash."

"I know, just like I know how strong your love for Cassie is and how it is almost enough for you to forget your lost…but not quite."

Azazeal did not comment.

"I have my orders. It is up to you what you will tell Lucifer. You can risk his reaction."

The two shook hands and Michael left him.

* * *

Less than an hour later all eight of them were conveniently at the church, where Sara, Luke, and Malachi all talked over one another trying to explain who they had seen. 

"I know," Azazeal all but shouted over them, "He has already spoken to me."

"To me as well," Lucifer added.

"Us too," Cassie interjected, and Azazeal and Lucifer turned to them immediately with questioning looks.

The girls had agreed to tell them only that Michael had visited them and show them the medals. They were not ready to reveal his message to them until they had heard what Michael had told Azazeal and Lucifer because they felt that the boys might not tell them if they knew what Micheal had said to them.

"He sort of joined us for lunch briefly and told us that he was here to talk to you two." Cassie loved that this wasn't really a lie.

"He told me that the fallen have been given a chance to redeem themselves, it seems like we've done a good thing here, helping the fallen to find a place in this world," Azazeal said with only a quick glance at Lucifer for his reaction, but there was none.

Cassie and Elizabeth were very excited by this news and each went to hug their man. Cassie could see the brightness in Azazeal's eyes that she now knew was her responsibility to bring out. She smiled to herself at how cute it was that this sometimes overbearing man could be so easily delighted by a job well done and she resolved to keep him that way.

Lucifer said quietly to Elizabeth only, "I can stay with you as long as you will have me."

"But…?"

"That is all that I want," he said, not telling her that he didn't think it would end up being her choice. Once this world was over, he thought he knew what his fate would be and he wouldn't let her stay with him even if she could. He assumed that when this world ended he would just convince her to go on to heaven without him, but she didn't need to know that now.

"But surely?…You will not be left out of this!" Elizabeth flared, offended on his behalf.

"He hasn't been left out," Azazeal interjected, overhearing them, "They were afraid that he would…overreact to the opportunity. Michael was not allowed to tell him but I can."

Elizabeth turned back to Lucifer pleased by this, "See, listening to me paid off!"

"I would listen to you anyway," he said but she could see that this news thrilled him.

* * *

When the girls showed their gifts from Michael to Azazeal and Lucifer they both got essentially the same reaction. Azazeal smiled when he saw it, almost proudly, and said that Cassie should wear it. She liked the reminder that he was her and their children's protector and the fact that she had an image of him as an angel. To him it was an acknowledgment of his family and that he would be allowed to watch over them forever. 

Elizabeth, however, did not expect the smile that it got from Lucifer, although his smile was more thoughtful and sad. He too told her that she should wear it, but she considered it for a few days before she decided that she did want to wear it along with the diamond star that she always wore. For her, she saw it as a confirmation from Michael that what Lucifer had been telling her was true, not that she had ever doubted him, but it was comforting to have it validated. She also saw it as a reminder of what he had gone through and why she was doing all this for him. Lucifer saw it as a sign that Michael had turned over the role of watchdog over him to Elizabeth. He also saw it as reminder of the moment that he had become destined to be hers and that made him smile.


	41. Chapter 41

The next morning Cassie woke before Azazeal and watched him sleep. At lunch the day before, she had been asking Elizabeth for advice on how to help Azazeal and Elizabeth had told her that it just had to come from her heart. 

"And if there's one thing I've learned it's that they are not shy when it comes to their purpose."

"That's true," Cassie had acknowledged, this was something that she'd learned in her own work with the angels, "It's just I don't know if I'll be any good at it…and why didn't he just tell me before?"

But when she'd seen him so happy that his fight with Lucifer and their work with the angels had given him, and all of them, an opportunity to change their fate, she saw how easy it could be. He opened his eyes to find her watching him and he smiled. She could see that he was still glowing from the idea that he done something good and that she had been the reason.

"Good morning, angel," she said, and his smile widened. She put a hand on his chest and said, "I think we should call them all here today to make the announcement. Make a party out of it. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds perfect," he said taking her hand to kiss it.

"And then tomorrow, there's something I want you to do for me."

He paused for a second and then said, "Really?"

"Yes," and then she continued casually as she could, "there's a boy at Mendham, an artist, that I met while visiting Sara, and he could use some encouragement. You know how I love art and I know you can be inspiring when you want to be."

"Interesting," he said and she could tell he was excited, but he playfully said, "And why should I bother inspiring anyone but you?"

"Because with the angels mostly having settled in I've got more time on my hands and you have so much talent with humans. I want to do try to do some good in this world and I want you to help me. Will you do that for me?"

"I'll consider it," he said, grabbing her mouth with his in a long, deep kiss. Despite his playful response, she knew that by tomorrow he'd be asking her about it. He'd done it before, bothering her about something she'd mentioned that she'd wanted, especially during their big trip, but she hadn't really put two and two together at that time yet. She was also pleased at how she had eased them into this because she certainly didn't want him to know that Lucifer had pretty much told her want to do. He still had his pride.

* * *

The announcement was scheduled for three in the afternoon and the news of the meeting spread rapidly. Many of the angels arrived early and pushed Cassie and Elizabeth to give them advanced information, but they kept their mouths shut. It was nice to see everyone together again as many of them, they hadn't seen since Christmas. Interestingly, but not really shockingly, all of the angels noticed and smiled at the medals that Cassie and Elizabeth wore and finally the girls asked one of them why. 

"They're from Michael, right?" the angels said already knowing that he was right.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"He loves symbolism, he's always been that way, and when ever he gets a chance to interact with humans, he likes to leave them with something. You know, Gabriel's usually the message bringer and…wait why did he come to you?" But the girls just smiled and managed to escape without revealing too much information.

When three o'clock came, Cassie sought out Azazeal and took his hand.

"It's time," she said excitedly.

She and Azazeal walked hand in hand, up the stairs to the raised platform where the alter used to be. She was just about to shout for everyone's attention when everyone fell silent and turned towards them. She looked up at Azazeal and he was smiling proudly. He simply said to them, "Michael has come to me and he told me that all of us have been given a chance to redeem ourselves!"

She was struck by an overwhelming sense of joy coming from them all. She smiled to herself that they always seemed to silently express their most extreme emotions and when she would have screamed and jumped about. When she asked Azazeal why none of them had any questions or concerns, he said that unlike humans they all knew what was expected of them. And as she had predicted it did turn into a rather boisterous party with drinking and dancing, and Elizabeth's favorite, some singing.

* * *

Sara and Luke were there too, of course, and Sara spent much of the day toying with angel suitors. Luke, on the other hand, had recently seemed to have out grown his sexual exploration phase. 

"Luke, my boy, you're falling behind. Where's your libido?" she asked.

"Oh, it's healthy, do you worry, sweetheart. I'm just more selective now."

"Right!" she said, "Selective."

"Yes, maybe you should try it and stop playing with too many lovers and then coming to me to complain that they're boring," he said with a twinkle.

"Not all of them are boring."

"What ever happened to showing me something unsafe, huh?" he prodded.

"Whenever you're ready, honey!" She smiled and moved closer.

Suddenly Luke kissed her and she found herself lost in the sensation of it like she had never been before. When he let her go, she looked a little flustered but recovered with, "Easy there Tiger!"

"What, you weren't ready?" Luke smiled innocently.

"I can see that you still need a little polishing," she retorted.

"I'm a quick learner," he said with mock hopefulness.

"I'm afraid I don't have any openings for novices," she said haughtily.

"It's a good thing I'm not a novice then," he smiled deviously and tried to pull her close again but she danced away nervously and left him.

He was now hopelessly in love with her but didn't know how to get past their playful flirtation. He'd flirted with, dated, or bedded just about every woman he'd come in contact with but he had recently realized that he was never as happy as when she dropped by his room to talk. Maybe it was only that he could be himself with her but he wanted to believe that she was the woman he'd been looking for, someone he could be truly close to and depend on. He found that he had quickly tired of the chase and the thrill of a new partner, but he wondered if Sara would ever settle down.

For her part, Sara had always been attracted to Luke but she figured that it was just because…well he was gorgeous and they had so much in common. Besides, she wanted someone who would adore her and would want to be intimately connected to her. And she couldn't imagine the son of Lucifer, the king of sexual depravity and lust, being the intimate sort.

* * *

At the end of that long day Elizabeth and Lucifer dragged themselves home and settled down to bed, but Elizabeth wasn't quite ready to sleep. 

"Will you tell my why Michael had a different message for you?" Elizabeth asked, "Why would they let you think that you were still damned?"

"I don't know if you've noticed but I can be kind of a hothead," he smiled, "Some of them must have thought this was all a trick and that I would leave you and try to force my way back into heaven if I thought there was a chance. So they wanted to encourage our arraignment by saying that He offered a truce while I was with you."

She still looked uncertain of his meaning.

"I've been trying to get His attention for centuries, Elizabeth, looking for any sign of leniency and at one time I was capable of that kind of lunacy, but not anymore. They don't understand what I feel for you, they can't. But I don't need their urging to stay with you." He smiled at her lovingly.

"I'm glad," she said, smiling back with a small amount of shyness because she knew that he gave her the credit for keeping him sane.

"Don't act modest, it doesn't suit you," he said, his attitude changing to a playful one and his tone lowering to a sexy rumble, as he leaned close to kiss her sensitive ears. "You're not humble when you've got me crying out to you in submission, are you? Or when I've been bad and I'm just your miserable slave desperately begging for your forgiveness. Your're never satisfied until I'm utterly vanquished, are you?," he whispered, moving on to nip at her exposed neck and she gave a soft sigh. "But now you're my plaything aren't you?"

She sighed again in agreement, her eyes closed, pressing herself against him, knowing what he would do to her and wanting it. He would torture her with achingly slow gentleness, which was her weakness, always keeping her just on the verge of total ecstasy. He would pay for it later, of course, but that was exactly what he wanted because he adored it anytime he could make her feisty enough to put him in a position that force him to yield to her.


	42. Chapter 42

As Cassie had predicted, Azazeal had asked her the next morning about the artist at Mendham and they had gone together to give the boy a little push. The next day Cassie had spendt a good deal of her time with Azazeal and she innocently "suggested" different ideas for helping people that she had been thinking about recently. He listened more attentively than he let on and toyed with the ideas. She could tell that, if she wanted, they would eventually do them all in some form or another. Towards the end of the day she realized how much time they had actually been spending apart doing various things on their own and it seemed to her that this interaction was also important to him. Not that she didn't spend what most people would consider a normal amount of time with him but it seemed that he wanted to be with her more than she realized.

As they spent more time together and he had an opportunity to do things for her, the pretense of Azazeal humoring her began to evaporate but it would take a more unequivocal assurance from her for his uncertainty to completely leave him. He had no way of knowing that this wasn't a fluke and she wouldn't just eventually get bored of this.

Cassie did notice that he was a bit guarded in his enjoyment of their partnership and their extra time together. She thought back to what Lucifer had told her and his crest fallen look when she hadn't understood what he wanted from her when he was showing her his angelic form and realized what he must be thinking. Knowing that while he liked the sound of his own voice, he was not a speech maker she decided to make her intensions clear.

One afternoon after keeping an unhappy, but good couple from getting a divorce, for now at least, she said to him, "You know this isn't a coincidence."

"What's not?" he said evenly. He could tell she wasn't talking about the couple but he was still hesitant.

"I'm sorry it took me so long but…I love you, Azazeal. I have every intention of staying with you forever, and more than that…I want to make you happy."

"You do make me happy," he said with bright smile and a kiss on her forehead.

She turned squarely towards him and looked right in to his eyes seriously, "You know what I mean. I've been…well, I wasn't really paying attention to you, but you're an angel too and I haven't been sensitive to what you might need from me."

His face was more serious now but he still had an appreciative smile so she knew she was reaching him.

"So, this isn't a whim and if I loose my ingenuity for a while it's not a reflection on you. Understand?"

He chuckled a bit at this but nodded and they turned and continued to walk hand in hand towards home.

Cassie and Azazeal started out slow, with her having individuals as pet projects but soon she was expanding her endeavors, eventually to the point where other angels, usually Araqiel, Bariqel and/or Lucifer were involved. It became quite fun and especially when Elizabeth tagged along with Lucifer, and Cassie began to secretly feel like she was in the A-Team or on Mission Impossible.

* * *

Luke finally went to Elizabeth for advise on how to approach Sara and she had given him a knowing smile that he responded to with an annoyed smirk. 

"Sorry, it's just that your father has been greatly amused by your little flirtation and he's been telling me that you both would get together at some point."

"Yeah, well, I really like her," he said defensively, "if was just sex I wouldn't need any advise."

"Point taken. Why haven't you talked to her?"

"It's not that easy. We're competitive, she feels like she's my older sister, and she's just so…wild." Elizabeth smiled at this because she had expected Luke to be a handful but while he did what he wanted and often got in trouble with Malachi, he was usually in control.

"Let me tell you some things about Sara. She's looking for something too and she's always liked you. You just have to find away to get her attention and get her thinking that you might be what she's looking for."

Luke went off to consider this and eventually figured that the best approach might be to treat her like a regular girl. And what did he do when he was in the mood to romance a girl? Well, he usually presented them with a gift of some kind and with Sara being who she was he could be far more creative then he could normally be.

* * *

Elizabeth had, of course, devised a suitably kinky punishment for Lucifer for the offense of toying with her so thoroughly and he had enjoyed every minute of it. She made sure it actually encouraged the continuation of such behavior in addition to satisfying his desire for a reaction from her. She had always playfully retaliated for this type of assault, which he had always sprung on her unexpectedly with varying intensity from time to time (Maui had been…interesting), but this time he had out done himself. Also, she was fully aware that it had been some time since he had done anything more evil than what an average human might do but he didn't really seem to notice. She had some theories on why, not that she was complaining, but she suspected that he didn't bother to wonder about such things. 

She hadn't changed her strategy with him but there had, however, been two key changes in his life over the last few weeks since he had asked her to never leave him and she had assured him that she would not. She felt that these changes, along with her commitment to stay with him and the news that he was not irrevocably damned, had had a positive effect on him in addition to making him comfortable that he would not accidentally hurt her or lose her, which allowed him to be more…aggressive. Of course, he still wanted her in charge and, because it was in his nature to give himself completely, he would still occasionally push her for a show of dominance in order to feel the overpowering connection to her that it created. Elizabeth understood his need for these little reminders and obliged him as necessary, although now they had become less frequently necessary.

Firstly, she had become very skillful at transitioning him between his good and bad sides, as she needed, and she had started to notice that the two were beginning to blend together a little. When she was with the sweet, calm, and focused Lucifer, she found that he was not always as over the top with his devotion to her as he initially had and he began to sometimes show a fun, yet controlled, playfulness. When she was with the bold and rebellious Lucifer, he was now more bark than bite when it came to really serious mischief and he was capable of channeling his energy more into their exploits with Cassie and Azazeal and, when it amused him, toying with Elizabeth. She had not expected this blending of the two but it was quite helpful.

Secondly, his position of leader of all of the fallen angels was now more honorary, which was fine by him as long as he still got the respect he deserved from the them…OR ELSE. Besides, he was too busy and important to have to deal with their problems and question, well at least that was his thinking. His group of angels were now to come to Elizabeth with any issues they had, either directly or thorough a few angels she had helping her. They could also approach Cassie or Azazeal, but all four of them were together so much, they generally just went through Elizabeth's helpers and she would take the matter to Lucifer as necessary. He had no aversion to helping when the questions came from her, although he did like to make it a game sometimes, and it was interesting to see how the release from the pressure of their direct expectations and their constant needs relaxed him. So it seemed that if all he had to worry about was listening to her, he was a much more pleasant being.

Cassie enjoyed the benefits of all this too, because Lucifer had always taken a particular delight in pushing her buttons but now that he had fewer demands on his attention he was less prone to take out his frustration on her any more, or Azazeal for that matter. Of course, they both had to suppress their urge to tease him about his good behavior or to chide him when he would get so affectionately (and sometimes naughtily) preoccupied with Elizabeth that he would ignore their presence for several minutes at a time or just steal her away abruptly.

* * *

On a particularly interesting mission in the Middle East, the Cassie, Azazeal, Elizabeth, and Lucifer stayed in a palatial two-bedroom suite in one of the ritziest hotels in Dubai. Neither Azazeal nor Lucifer understood the girl's compulsion to stay at a location near where they would be working, since they could just as easily commute from home, but it did afford them with the opportunity of getting away from everyone and visiting some interesting cities. 

On the morning of their fifth day there, Cassie was making her way back to bed after getting up in the early morning hours to look at the city from the balcony and she found Azazeal watching with careful amusement. When she got back in to bed next to him, he kissed her and fit his body against the back of hers.

"I guess I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you."

"I'm I under surveillance?" she asked with a laugh.

"Today you are, my dear," he said as he gently increased his grip of his arm around her body, "Today, there will be no leaving this room."

"Hey, we've got…"

"Not today we don't."

"But Elizabeth and Lucifer will be waiting for us."

"As a mater of fact, they will be doing no such thing," he said with a smug smile and released her to let his hand wander over her body.

She twisted to turn her head to playfully narrow her eyes at him, "You both conspired against us!?"

"Yes, in fact, we developed a very complex plan in order to get you both right were we want you," he admitted in jokingly serious tone with a touch of wickedness.

"How do you know that we didn't actually manipulate you both in an even more complex plot to get you both were we want you?"

He smiled, shook his head and said, "I don't care." And that was the end of any meaningful conversation between them for quite some time.

Azazeal had always been a sensual lover, very giving and always with a trick up his sleeve, and he continued to anticipate her mood, but now Cassie also enjoyed an increased affection outside the bedroom, which wasn't rare before, just not this…charming. If she thought he'd been cute when she was pregnant with Sara, he was downright adorable now. It seemed as if he was always either holding her or had an arm curled around her or she would find herself pressed against him in some fashion or another and she loved the closeness of it. And the best part was that, like all of the angels; he had the ability to do this without getting in her way or being annoying.

* * *

Lucifer had been a bit more direct in his announcement of Elizabeth's captivity. He'd been waiting for her to try to get up from bed in order to pounce on her. 

"Oh, no you don't," he said, grabbing her and pulling her back. She playfully tried to wrestle with him but only ended up getting more entangled with him.

"This is a coup of sorts. Today Azazeal and I set the ground rules," he rumbled.

"I saw you two plotting last night," she laughed and continued with a smile, "but I didn't expect outright rebellion."

"You're going to have to pay more attention next time. Now, we have a lovely bed, we have a wonderful bathtub, and we have room service. I think that about covers all the information that you need to know."


	43. Chapter 43

Cassie and Azazeal were a great team and it wasn't long before Elizabeth requested their services for a little project of her own. She cared for the environment and was concerned about global warming. She had asked Lucifer about it, who had convenient knowledge of the earth's entire history, and he confirmed that humans were indeed having some effect on the planet. He told her that there were many things he could do to directly effect the problem but if people didn't change it would start all over again. When she asked him if it was worthwhile to do something about it or if the world would end before the earth became uninhabitable, he laughed at her, and said that she shouldn't let that stop her.

"Cassie, I have a favor to ask. I would like the four of us to go to the United States and get the government to do something about the environment."

"Like what?" Cassie asked.

"I'm still working on that part but the government definitely needs to get involved."

"Alright, we've neglected that part of the world so far. Let's give it a go!"

So after some discussion and the development of a game plan, the four of them took up residence at Elizabeth's ranch and started making forays in to the political world of the U.S. Cassie and Elizabeth did research on key individuals and groups that should be manipulated and were helpful when a woman's touch was more effective even than angelic persuasion.

Lucifer loved the activity and was integral in overall influence over large groups and systems. He was also the self-appointed entertainment director. He kept himself occupied in his down time by never allowing their lives to become boring and took great joy in surprising them, although it was mostly for Elizabeth. When there were more than just the four of them around, however, he tended to retreat back and become intimately absorbed with her, which seemed to help him keep out of trouble, so it was fine as far as she was concerned. He still occasionally ignored Cassie and Azazeal too, but that was generally just to annoy them and embarrass Elizabeth, they discovered.

Azazeal was, as usual, completely involved in this endeavor and took it all very seriously, which amused Cassie on occasion, even though she regularly showed her appreciation for his efforts. For Azazeal doing only things at his own whim had always felt hollow and without meaning, which is probably why he had been so easily lead by Lucifer, who had at least had a plan. It made perfect and reassuring sense to him to help Cassie fulfill her altruistic goals and also some of her wildest dreams, so why wouldn't he be serious about it. The fact that they got to spend more and more time together was obviously a welcome bonus and now one was rarely without the other to the delight of both of them.

Although he relied on her for direction in order to feel needed and linked to her, he did not need the control that Lucifer found so appealing. His arrogant confidence had not gone anywhere, so while Cassie came up with the objective, Azazeal developed the plan and directed the players.

"But why does it have to be so convoluted?" Cassie asked.

"We're dealing with people who are very set in their ways and who don't understand what we're saying," he said smoothly.

"I know, but you're playing all these people off of each other and I just don't see how this is going to get us anywhere."

"Trust me," he said snatching her hand and pulling her against him, "I've been doing this for a very…long…time," he said while giving her a little kiss between each word. Cassie melted immediately and forgot all about her concerns.

* * *

It hadn't taken Luke long to decide what he wanted to give Sara but it did take quite a while for him to make it. He didn't really mind because he always had some project or other he was working on, sometimes several at a time, to keep himself amused. 

There was a knock at his door and he hurriedly put his project away before opening the door to find exactly who he expected: Sara.

"Bored again?"

"No, I was…well yes, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," he said letting her in and she immediately flopped on his bed.

"What are you doing later?" She asked rising up on both of her elbows to look at him.

"Well, I have Soccer game later and then Malachi and I are…uh."

"What! Why am I never invited out with you two?!"

"You'll have to ask your brother."

She glared at him, "So what are you two doing tonight then?"

"High stakes poker," he said with a grin.

"He just gets a kick out of cheating," she said dismissively.

"I'll see if you can tag-a-long," he said helpfully.

"Don't bother," she said and stormed out.

He shook his head at her after she left and pulled out his project to begin working on it again.

* * *

Luke hadn't expected to see her again so soon but Sara and her friend Joan were there at his Soccer game intently watching him play. If this was meant to intimidate or bother him it didn't work, but it did make him wonder what she was thinking. After the game, she walked over to him with her friend and introduced them. Joan had been in love with Luke from afar for quite a while but was too shy to ever do anything about it. Sara, of course, noticed this right away, even though Joan hadn't said much, and immediately tried to show off how well she knew him. 

"You're not as disgusting as I would have thought when you're sweaty. But maybe that's because you played so impressively."

"The only way to know for sure," he offered, "would be to test out your theory in various ways." He was just not able resist the opening.

"Ha ha, I'm sure there are plenty of girls waiting to perform a exhaustive study," she smirked.

"Not really," he said, "I've got to go wash up. I'll see you around." He smiled at Joan and ran off after the team to the showers.

Sara was unhappy that she didn't get more of an opportunity to talk to him and she was irritated at the smile he'd graced Joan with, but then she started to wonder why it was so important to her to flirt with him for Joan's benefit. Poor Joan! She deserved a little attention, but Sara knew that she would do anything in her power to keep them apart.

* * *

Lucifer stood invisibly at the front of the room where the House of Representatives was about to vote, finally, on a key piece of legislation that they wanted passed. Elizabeth observed, invisible also, from the visitor's balcony as he closed his eyes and his breathing slowed as he focused on the task at hand. Instead of trying to bring out the worst in people, which had been his former pastime, he was going to coax out their conscience and their sense of what was right. She smiled as she watched him and she started to feel very proud of him. She saw a knowing grin spread across his face and when he opened his eyes, it was only a split second later before he stood in front of her up on the balcony. 

"You're easy to please," he said still smiling.

"Sometimes," she teased.

"Well, today anyway," he agreed.

"Yeah, well it's easier when you do what I ask you to do," she smiled suppressing a laugh as she remembered the last time they'd been here a few weeks ago and he'd caused the whole House to break into a rendition of "We Are the World" that made Elizabeth laugh hysterically, before she regrouped and got him to do what they were there for.

She moved forward now and hugged him and when she pulled back they were under one of the trees in the fields at her ranch. He smirked when she noticed the location change and pulled her down in the grass. He sat against the tree and had her lean her back against him as he looped his arms around her. She rested her head back against his shoulder for a few quiet minutes before they returned to Azazeal for their next assignment.

When Elizabeth and Lucifer popped back into the house to look for Azazeal, Elizabeth went to walk into the living room, HQ for their project, but Lucifer gripped her hand tightly and pulled her back.

"Let's not interrupt them," he said.

"Oh, come on, that's my living room," she with a playfully discusted face, knowing what they were doing in there.

"You should know that no place is off limits. Let's go back. I have some ideas of my own," he suggested in a sexy tone.

* * *

Cassie was floating in a particularly delicious exhaustion and could no longer remember how many times she'd climaxed or if she was on the couch or the floor or the desk or wherever. She still couldn't figure out how he created half of the sensations that he did but she couldn't be bothered to worry about it too much. 

Azazeal welcomed the feeling of wildness that came when he was overtaken by the urge to worship her because he was always in such control of his surroundings. It was definitely a release and the pleasure of it was undeniable. It had become more seldom when they had grown troubled but it was now back with a vengeance. Although he spoke words of submission as well as love, there was always strength in him made it more akin to a joining of himself with her, rather than Lucifer's style of giving everything.

Azazeal gave a final cry and collapsed weakly on top of her. Cassie ran her hand down his back and after a minute said, "Azazeal…I'm ready. When we get done here…I want you to make me immortal so we can do this forever."

He lifted his head and smiled at her but said nothing.

"There's something I have to tell you though. When Michael came to Elizabeth and I…he told us that if we do this…our fates, after this world ends, I guess, will be tied to yours. I want you to know that I want this because it will ensure that we will be together forever." Cassie was happy and slightly teary eyed, but this news did not sit well with Azazeal, who could not help but let this idea trump the good news that she wanted to be with him forever.


	44. Chapter 44

Cassie and Azazeal, Elizabeth and Lucifer had been blissfully and wonderfully happy but the revelation that immortality would bind their fates together had put a small but unfortunate wrench in the works for both couples.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Azazeal said, irritated that she had chosen the moment that she had to tell him that making her immortal could possibly doom her to an eternity in the abyss with him or worse. Of course, because it could be eons before this became pressing, he had avoided thinking past the act of making her immortal which was why he was so shocked at being forced to consider what exactly might happen to them in the end. God had been very explicit in the Bible on what his fate was supposed to have been but now nothing was certain and she couldn't possibly understand what all this meant.

"To be honest, I'd kind of forgotten about it," she said in a snotty tone, "It's not really relevant."

"NOT RELEVENT!"

Cassie took a brief moment to revel in that fact that she'd turn the tables on him, but then returned to the matter at hand.

"You're being ridiculous."

"And you're being reckless. You can't just throw away your chance at heaven."

"Right, that's what I'm doing," she rolled her eyes to indicate that this was not how she thought of it, "You would see it that way and once again you're pushing me away."

"That's not what I'm doing," he said frustrated.

"Yes…it is."

"You don't understand."

"No, I understand perfectly. When you figure it out, let me know," and she stormed off.

* * *

Sara was also in a bad mood and dropped in on Malachi to voice her annoyance at not having been invited to the poker game. 

"What kind of brother are you not inviting me? And I'm way more fun that Luke and you spend more time with him."

"Of course you're more fun," he said smoothly, he wasn't above manipulating his sister, "But aren't you being kind of weird? I mean we do all sorts of crazy things together. Remember when we dressed up and walked the red carpet at the Oscars and no one could figure out who we were?"

She pursed her lips and said, "Yes, but I was bored the other day and you didn't think of me."

"Luke and I wanted a boy's night, Ella didn't come."

"Well, I'm not Ella," she wined.

"Okay, we, uh, stole the Stone of Belial from dad and we're going to ancient Egypt tonight, Ella and I, do you want to go?"

"Luke's not going?"

"He's busy."

"See you didn't invite me until right now!!! Anyway, I can't go either, I have homework," she said and cross her arms and looked away.

"I don't think this is about me," he said with a smirk, "I'm starting to think this is about Luke."

"Don't be absurd!"

"I'm not the one passing up a chance go back in time because of a little homework."

* * *

Lucifer was staring darkly at Elizabeth after having found out from Azazeal what Elizabeth had kept from him. 

"I cannot believe that you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry," she said, "Cassie and I agreed not to mention it until we heard what Michael's message to you both was and then I didn't know if I should tell you." She was very concerned because he was genuinely angry with her and he usually didn't get much past mildly irritated.

"I don't keep things from you," he said still angry but sad too.

"I know and I'm grateful for that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"This is serious, Elizabeth, I might not…I have a lot to make up for. I never intended to let you stay with me if it came to…and I am not prepared for the possibility of you damning your soul by staying with me."

"That won't happen."

"I appreciate your belief in me but it's not that simple."

"It is that simple. I said I wouldn't leave you and I meant it. It's too late for you to change your mind on me now," she said firmly. "Besides," she added with a touch of a smile "How could I leave you after your big speech about not leaving you?"

He smiled at this but was not entirely convinced.

"You've trusted me with a lot already and I believe in you," she said, "This is nothing. Together, we can do anything."

He considered this but did not reply. She didn't expect a resolution tonight and let him take some time to think about it, which turned into several days.

* * *

Sara immediately went to Luke's room after yelling at Malachi at his presumption that she had any thoughts about Luke that weren't sisterly. She tried the door handle out of curiosity because she had noticed that he had been unlocking his door each time he would let her in and sure enough it was locked. She knocked at the door and waited while he shuffled about, then unlocked the door to let her in. 

"What's with the door locking?" she asked right way.

"Nothing, really, I've just been working on something I didn't want anyone to see," he said with an excited smile.

"You're not going with Malachi tonight," she asked searchingly.

"No, I wanted to finish this up. Sit down."

She flopped down in his chair and watched him as he cleaned up the mess he'd apparently generated for this project.

"So, how's everything going?" she asked.

"Fine," he said, still tidying up and wondering why she wasn't more curious about his project.

"Didn't you want to go to ancient Egypt?"

"Uh, I didn't tell Malachi…but I don't need the Stone for that."

"You don't!?!?"

"Uh, no. Impressed?" He asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"For once, yes, I am impressed. And here I thought you were only good at soccer," she teased. It was easier for her to talk to him when she was teasing him.

"I have other talents," he insisted with a mock pout also finding it easier to communicate this way.

"Alright let's see 'em," she laughed.

"Well, don't you want to see what I've been working on? It's for you, you know."

Sara was a little shocked and said with more excitement that she thought was really necessary after hearing herself, "Really?"

"Yeah, you know I like to make things and I wanted to try something new. I thought of something perfect for you so I created it."

"Show me!"

Luke went to his closet and pulled out something that appeared to be quite heavy and was covered with a black veil. He carefully placed it on the floor a few feet away from her and sat cross-legged on the floor behind it.

"You have to come down here," he said and she slipped down off of the chair to sit opposite him with the veiled item between them. She looked at him and he looked back at her with a mix of amusement and nervousness. He reached out his hand and lifted the black covering to reveal a beautifully crafted white marble horse about one foot high at the shoulder. It was standing as if for a photo with its head held high and its legs just so. She could tell that it was fine Italian marble but couldn't fathom how he had been able to get it much less carve and chisel this perfectly formed animal out of it.

She was staring at it in wonder and then looked up at him with delight. They both loved horses, which wasn't a surprise considering how much time they'd spent with them as a children, but this was more than that because this was a piece of fine art that he'd just created in his dorm room.

"So you like it then?"

"Of course," she gushed.

"Then I should tell you that it's not just a sculpture."

"Okay, what else is it?"

"Put your hand on it," he said with a mischievous smile.

She reached out her hand and as soon as the tip of her finger touched it, it tossed its head, stamped a front foot and turned to look at her, before walking over to apparently look for food in her hand. It was still a white stature but she could feel its gentle breath against her skin at it nuzzled her.

"He doesn't need to eat but he does like bits of apple and sugar."

"How did you…?'

"I just did. It's hard to explain."

Sara carefully stroked the little horse's neck and he seemed to like that too.

"And you can turn him off too, you just have to touch him again with that intent."

"I don't know what to say, Luke, I love him."

"Good," he said proudly and then got up abruptly, "Are you hungry, do you want to grab something to eat?"

"Sure," she said and touched her little horse again to turn him back in to a statue and leaped up to follow Luke.

* * *

When Sara returned to her room, she found her father sitting in her chair thinking. 

"Well, imagine finding you here," she said pleasantly, but when he looked up she could see that he was unhappy.

He told her about his disagreement with her mother and she replied, "She believes in you, dad, and I bet that when you told her that you could redeem yourself, she didn't doubt for a second that you could do it. That's why she thinks you're being ridiculous."

"But the consequences…" he started.

"To her there is no risk. She loves you and you're telling her that you're going to give her up. Even if it's to save her that's not a good enough reason. You're not very good with women, are you?"

He smiled at her form of encouragement and stood to give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"I seems that I have been overlooking your talent for giving advise."

"Yes, I am a fount of knowledge. Now go home, I've got homework to do," they smiled at each other and he went home to Cassie.

* * *

Azazeal walked over to Cassie and looked at her sadly. She returned his look with a kind smile. 

"I've failed before," he said.

"Is that what this is about?"

"It's not a minor thing."

"It is to me."

"I'm corrupted, imperfect, not worthy."

She reached out to touch his face, "I don't see you that way. And I need you."

While she had already let him know that she understood that he needed direction and purpose from her and that she would not deprive him of that intentionally, he hadn't really expressed to her these feelings that still lingered deep inside.

"How can you be so sure that I won't fail again?"

"Because I love you and I won't let you fail. You're already a much different person than you were when I met you but you don't give yourself credit for that. I haven't helped by doubting you, but that's not true anymore. Let me help you."

He gave in with a smile and after a few kisses, he went off to kick everyone out so that he could get ready for this momentous occasion.

He told her a little later that what he would be doing was probably not what she would have expected. Her soul, as everyone's is, was already immortal. What he would do involved her body. He would fix her soul more firmly to this body so that it wouldn't fly off right away if the body was in trouble. She was unlikely to be hurt anyway, given her power and who she had looking after her, and she could easily be healed by one of the angels, but like Ella if one was going live here forever, you had to keep your body and soul together. She wouldn't be invincible but she'd be hard to lose. And, of course, he would then turn off the body's compulsion to age. It was just component of God's great plan and was not complicated to fix.

* * *

Lucifer and Elizabeth arrived a few hours later at Cassie invitation to an empty and partially rearranged church. Azazeal had created a circle about ten feet across in the center of the church out of the candelabras and changed the candles to mostly white with some black ones interspersed. All of the other candles in the place too had been changed even if they weren't part of the circle. The red carpet that usually lead from the front door to the alter area had been rolled up and the floor of the circle was bare wood. 

Elizabeth whispered to Lucifer, "I had no idea it would be this involved."

He made a face, "It doesn't have to be. I offered to do it for him but he insisted on doing it himself. Now he's just being over cautious." Elizabeth laughed at Lucifer's annoyed tone.

"So, you'd cut out the unnecessary bits?"

"No, I'm just not fussy like he is."

When everything was ready, Cassie and Azazeal walked in to the middle of the circle and he put her in the very center. He turned to face east and crossed himself intoning words that Cassie did not understand. Then proceeding from east, to south, to west, to north he drew something in the air at each direction with his right finger then pointing at the center of each drawing intoned a single word. When he was back where he started he held his arms out wide and seemed to call on the angels Raphael, Gabriel, Michael and Ariel (those were the only words Cassie had understood thus far). He cross himself again as before and then after what seemed like a small smile and a quick glance in each direction, he went over to Cassie and put his hands on her shoulders.

They smiled at each other and then his eyes unfocused as he concentrated. She could feel what seemed like electricity filling the air around her and it made her skin tingle. It slowly built up more and more until she felt a great jolt run through her body accompanied by a flash of brilliant white light, leaving her with a sensation of weightlessness. It wasn't painful or pleasurable, just firm and strong and she could no longer see anything but white for a few seconds as the feeling subsided.

Azazeal came slowly back into view and was smiling at her but when her eyes cleared fully she could see he was weak and she realized that his hands were pressing harder against her shoulders then they were before. She moved forward to support him and was soon assisted by Lucifer and Elizabeth.

After they had helped Cassie get Azazeal sitting down, Elizabeth and Lucifer respectfully left, but as soon as they were home, Lucifer quipped, "And you think I'm dramatic."

Elizabeth just smiled and shook her head at him.

* * *

_A note on the "ritual of immortality" - What I have described is basially the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. I don't actually practice magic myself but I have done some reading about it and this is a basic ritual performed to prepare and protect the space before performing anything further (Well, at least that's what I understand from what I've read). I picked it because it includes many references to God, like the sign of the cross while saying an abriviated version of the Lord's prayer, intoning of four of God's names as after the drawing of each Pentagram, and calling four Archangels at the cardinal points. There are other "non-Christian" versions as well. Anyway, I just thought it was interesting and this note would help you understand why Lucifer finds it to be overkill. :-)_


	45. Chapter 45

_FYI – there's a new footnote on the previous chapter regarding the "immortality ritual."_

* * *

The act of making Cassie immortal had taken a lot of out of Azazeal, so they decided to take off for a while to be on their own for a couple of weeks. They wouldn't tell anyone exactly where they were going or how long exactly they planned to be away. 

"Well, what am I supposed to do while you two are gone?" Lucifer asked, annoyed. It was Lucifer's first and only question when Cassie told him they were leaving.

"I suppose you'll have to ask Elizabeth, won't you?" Cassie said with a smirk.

"She only uses me for one thing, my dear," he responded suggestively, "but I have to admit it is more exhausting than playing with humans."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that," she said, meaning that she thought that Elizabeth would keep him busy with other things too, after all she'd been dreaming up things for Lucifer to do for longer than Cassie had been.

"Cassie, if you're not utterly spent afterwards you're not doing it right," he said in a low rumble and walked off before Cassie could respond with something sufficently scathing and she lost yet another word battle with him.

Cassie and Azazeal initially retired to a lonely castle in Ireland, but soon both of them became restless and wanted some activity. Cassie suggested Las Vegas, they hadn't been there yet, and Malachi and Ella had said it was fun. Uncharacteristically but not unnaturally, they drank, gambled, and went to strip clubs, spending a considerable amount of money, that really amounted to nothing when you knew how much money Azazeal had, and that made it all so much more fun. The two of them laughed and enjoyed themselves much more than they ever had before and had the pleasant opportunity to be seen by others around them as a normal, if wild couple.

* * *

A few days after Cassie and Azazeal left, Lucifer disappeared. Elizabeth let him go, knowing that he needed some exciting activity after having gone so quickly from being extremely busy with Cassie and Azazeal to a quieter life. She knew he was also stressed about the question of making her immortal. She could have come up with something to keep him occupied but she thought it was important the he come to his own way of dealing with this kind of thing. She expected that Cassie, Azazeal, Lucifer, and herself would spend many, many years gallivanting about as they had recently but there would still be times when their activity would slow. 

She enjoyed her time with her ranch staff and her beloved horses that she hadn't spent much time with in a while, but with Cassie and Azazeal also gone, she quickly became lonely. She and Lucifer hadn't spent this much time apart since he'd disappeared to learn self-control. She then realized that it wouldn't have mattered who was around, she simply missed Lucifer and nothing was going to make that feeling go away but him. She actually liked that notion, and she sadly but patiently waited for him to come back, as she knew that he eventually would.

* * *

When Cassie and Azazeal were done with Vegas, Cassie got it into her head to do things she never would have considered as a mere mortal. 

"Now why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?" Azazeal asked seriously. At this well-known question, Cassie burst out in laughter.

"Particularly when I can fly. Stop laughing!" Azazeal said with a smile.

"I don't know. There're just things I like to try. Come on!"

After having 'convinced' the instructor to let her jump without a partner since it was her first time, Azazeal watched from the ground as she jumped out of an airplane and only felt a tiny bit of anxiety until the parachute opened. She was all aglow when she got back to him and he was please that she had fun, but still pretended to think it was ridiculous.

* * *

Lucifer appeared abruptly in Luke's room in the late evening. 

"Let's get you packed and where's our lovely Sara?"

"Um, what?" Luke responded from his bed where he'd just settled down to sleep.

"The three of us are going to have a little…well a lot, of fun, so hurry up. I'll get Sara," and he quickly disappeared, accosted Sara and returned with her confused but with a small bag packed.

Luke had decided after a brief reflection that there was little he could do to stop this and it would no doubt be fun, so he'd put some things together and was also ready to go.

Grabbing both of their hands Lucifer whisked them away to Thailand where the first order of business, after squaring away their lodging, was to get massages. There were, of course, a myriad of other activities that Thailand was known for and he indulged Luke and Sara's fascinated desires, but kept his behavior fairly innocent.

"When are you two going to get together?" He asked abruptly after they left some kind of 'show.'

"Aren't either of you even a bit curious?" He continued.

"What do you mean, dad?"

"Oh, come on, you've both tried everything else. Leave nothing unconquered!" he said and then was distracted by a shop on the other side of the street they were walking on and they followed him in trying not to look at each other.

The next day…afternoon, after waking up in a hot hotel room, they removed to Amsterdam to sample the delights of that fine city.

* * *

Cassie's next idea was for Azazeal and he actually liked it more that even she expected. They bought an expensive sports car, a black Lotus Elise, and tore up the Autobahn. You wouldn't think angels could drive, and actually Azazeal couldn't at first, never having bothered with it, but after a quick, too quick, lesson from Cassie he was as good as an Indy car driver. She screamed in terror and delight as they careened around corners and made the other drivers look like pedestrians. 

This, of course, lead to the idea of playing a bit of James Bond and his girl in Monte Carlo. Cassie was amused by the fact that Azazeal had actually seen several of the movies and remembered far more of the details then he probably should have admitted to but Cassie thought it was great.

Obviously, Azazeal in a tuxedo and Cassie in a slinky dress made in nearly impossible for them to concentrate on the high, high stakes poker that Cassie tried to get him not to cheat at but he was just too natural at reading the players. It didn't take long for them to end up back in their room, where Cassie showed him that she knew a thing or two about playing it rough.

* * *

After a couple of nights in Amsterdam, Paris was the next stop for Lucifer and the kids. In the morning following a wild night in Paris, as they sat at a café eating breakfast, Luke and Sara watched as Lucifer sipped at his coffee but mangled rather than ate the croissant in front of him. Luke and Sara glanced at each other and finally Luke said, "What's wrong with you this morning?" 

Lucifer thought about it for longer than they would have expected. This excursion had been started, as they always were, by a feeling of restlessness but he just wasn't finding the peace that he generally did and it wasn't because he was being relatively good rather than bad. Finally he looked up and said almost pitifully, "I miss your mother."

Luke smiled knowingly at this and said, "Then why are you here?"

"I don't know," he replied with a shake of his head and a smile of his own. "I trust you two can take care of yourselves and get yourselves back to school," he said and they nodded like school children to tease him. He rolled his eyes and disappeared.

Luke smiled wistfully after him and Sara said, "That was strange."

"Not really, he's always loved her more than he loves me."

After a pause, Sara said, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way. He loves me as much as a father can…but my mother? He adores her and he needs her. He is lost without her." Luke was looking inward as he said this and his smiling face had a touch of longing in it that Sara caught but had not expected.

She wasn't exactly surprised but seeing this side of Luke and his father reminded her how much she had liked Luke as a child and made her think that maybe he wasn't just superficial after all.

"Hey, let's walk around Paris a bit before we get back to school," she suggested, "I don't think one more day is going to get us into too much more trouble."

"Alright," he said.

* * *

In an attempted to do something a bit more relaxing, Cassie and Azazeal went to Maui again, but ended up back in Africa where they set up a camp of sorts in a remote area. Azazeal was pleased at this acknowledgment of their first trip here and they spent a few days there with some very silly animals who seemed to enjoy the fact that they weren't scared of or filled with the desire to eat Cassie and Azazeal. 

"Azazeal, that elephant won't stop following me," Cassie mildly complained after a short walk around their camp the day before they were going to leave for home.

"He likes you."

"Well, I'm taken," she said.

"Yes, you are," he said, "What's on the agenda for today.

"Well, as a service to these fine animals, I think we should put a good scare into the local poachers, what to you think?"

"Inciting terror is very fun, especially in the wicked, I know just the thing." he replied.

* * *

Lucifer arrived in the entryway of their ranch house and the place was very quiet. For a second he worried that she wasn't here and he'd have to wait for her, but then he heard some comforting clanging from the kitchen and walked towards it. When Elizabeth turned and saw him her face brightened and she went quickly over to him, nearly knocking him over as she hugged him. 

"I'm not in trouble?" he asked amused at her reaction.

"Luke's been reporting on you," she said, her head still pressed against his chest.

"What a dutiful son," he laughed.

"But I have been shamefully neglected," she said, looking up at him with a pout, "I only had Erumel to keep me company and I had to sleep all alone," she said and let her mind openly run over suggestive thoughts.

"Careful, woman, there is only a small shred of decency keeping me from taking you right here on the kitchen floor."

She looked around them at their location and said, "It's a good choice of location actually. I believe this particular spot is yet un-christened."

He smiled, kissing her deeply and taking her up in his strong arms. This started a few days of sweet lovemaking that stemmed not only from passion but also from an irresistible desire to remain as close together as possible.

At one point during their period of blissful intimacy, Lucifer looked at her quietly for several minutes and finally said, "If you want, I will do it."

Elizabeth smiled happily and gave him a peck on the lips. She had been hoping he would eventually agree to do what Azazeal had done for Cassie.

"I'm only doing it because I'm weak and selfish and I'd probably break down in a few years anyway," he said a sad smile.

"No, you're doing it because you trust me," she said kindly.

"I should be willing to give you up to make sure that I don't damn you but I can't. If I let you die...It would only be a few days before I would be throwing myself against the gates of heaven trying to get back to you."

"I don't want to be given up, silly," she said trying to cheer him up, "I just want to be with you and I don't want to be anywhere where you're not."

He smiled but then he pleaded, "Don't let me mess this up."

"I won't."

He looked at her for another minute and then put his hands on either side of her face. Closing his eyes, she could feel his power rising until suddenly it washed over her like a shock of cold water and just like that it was over. She gave him a 'That's it?' look.

"It's not as difficult as some people make it out to be," he said in prideful yet playful tone.

"It didn't make you weak?"

"Of course not!" he declared.

Elizabeth caught his currently egotistical attention and gave him a sulty look before saundering off to the bedroom where he, of course, followed. Breaking their recent pattern of tenderness, they devoured each other until they were both defenseless. In the end, Lucifer lost himself to the quivering adoration and uncontrollable ecstasy that she triggered in him when she created this level of pleasure and he ended up expending all of the restless energy he had left without her even needing to push him.

* * *

When the two couples met again after two weeks, they both whispered to each other about the changes in other. Cassie and Azazeal were playful and conspiratorial and couldn't wait to engage in more amusing activity. Elizabeth and Lucifer were uncharacteristically calm, quiet, and cute…exhausted was more like it, and were deemed by Cassie and Azazeal to be no fun. Not that Elizabeth or Lucifer cared. Both couples eventually readjusted back to their more usual states but kept a more than hint of what they'd learned during those two weeks. 


	46. Chapter 46

Sara hurried into French class, rushing right past Luke without a glance and sat in her seat two rows in front of him. She really wanted to look back at him but she wouldn't let herself give into the urge. Besides what was she going to do, grin at him like a dope? It had been three days since they had come back from Paris together and she'd managed to avoid him so far. He hadn't made it easy but she had won.

Their parents were apparently still indisposed because they'd been given a stern talking to by the principal for disappearing but they hadn't heard a peep from the people who would be the most annoyed by their little excursion. Well, Lucifer would defend them, it had been his idea anyway, and it wasn't the wrath of her parents for this bit of fun that she was worried about.

* * *

Luke felt Sara brush past him before he saw her, but this time he made no attempt to stop her or talk to her. If she wanted to avoid him, that was just fine. She'd come around. He was certain now that she loved him too but she was just valiantly fighting against it. It was the why that escaped him, but it didn't help to worry about that. All he had to do was sit and wait for her to crumble. He wouldn't have taken as much pleasure in her struggle as he did, if she wasn't making him miserable in the process. 

Luke cursed his own single-minded pursuit of her since they'd come back but he knew where it came from so he couldn't hate it too much. He just hoped that whatever was keeping her from letting go wasn't stronger than his desire to be with her. But he doubted it. He suspected that her humanity was rearing its ugly head and that she was just scared. After all, he wasn't your typical boy and she wasn't your typical girl. She knew very well that what would happen between them would be different from anything she'd felt before. So he thanked his capacity for steadfast affection and waited.

* * *

After Lucifer had left them at the café in Paris, they had walked along the Champs Elysee and seen the sights of the city that had not been the focus of the night before. They visited the parks, museums, and shops, where both of them had bought a peace offering for their respective mothers, who would be the most irritated when the school called to inform them of their disappearance. They were so engaged in their conversation and wanderings that by the time they looked up it was getting dark and they decided to stay another night rather than having to pack up their stuff and leave. 

Rather than finding a place for dinner they had ordered room service and watched a strange French movie before turning in for the night. They only had one room and a large king sized bed, that they had already slept next to each other on, but now it seemed much more forbidding since they were on their own. Both had considered suggesting that they go back, but neither wanted to be the one to speak up.

* * *

The next morning Sara slowly became aware of the light coming in from the windows and the rising sound of traffic from the street before she noticed the strong arms firmly wrapped around her and the body pressed against her. She carefully turned her head to confirm that it was indeed Luke, which wasn't a great surprise considering the fact that she now remembered just how close they had gotten last night. She gently twisted underneath his arm, careful not to wake him in the process, and ended on her back with his arm still across her stomach. She ran her eyes over his brown hair, lightened by the sun like his mother's, and his exposed back, thinking about what his skin felt like, how green his eyes were, and how soft his lips had been. 

Breaking her from her reverie, he opened his eyes and smiled, "Good morning."

"Morning."

He let her go and rolled onto his back and left Sara irritated by her urge to follow him and put her head on his chest.

"I think we should get doing, don't you?" Sara announced.

"What's the hurry?" He asked pleasantly, but his happiness merely fanned her embarrassment about the reaction she'd just had to what had happened last night.

"I'm happy that your curiosity has now been satisfied, I suppose it was bound to happen, but I have things to do."

"Hey," he said lifting up on his elbow to look her in the eyes, "That was not just to satisfy my curiosity. Besides," he added with a smug grin, "You certainly showed quite an interest in my body as well, if I remember correctly."

She gave him a scathing look.

"But then again," he continued, "I was quite distracted so maybe I'm not entirely clear on what happened."

"That's just great, fine, make fun of me," Sara said and got up to start getting her stuff together. She was, of course, completely naked but it wasn't until she'd leap out of bed that she fully realized it and was forced to decide not to let it stop her.

Luke watched her for a moment and then got up himself to follow her lead. The next few minutes were spent ignoring one another as they gathered their things, with Luke choosing to make putting on his clothes the last thing he did and making sure that he gave her plenty of opportunities to get a good look at what she was treating with such scorn.

Finally, Luke broke the silence and said, "I don't understand why you're so angry. I thought…"

"I'm not angry, I just…"

"I'm in love with you, Sara," he burst out, and if it was possible, he was more surprised by this declaration than she was.

She stood stock-still and stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "I have to go," disappearing back to school.

She had left Luke in shock at her reaction considering the tenderness of last night, but he quickly recovered to follow her back to school, although he didn't start trying to talk to her until several hours later.

* * *

That night when they had settled into bed they had innocently ended up facing each other in the dark. 

"I had a good time today," Sara had said.

"Me too," Luke had responded.

Sara had smiled a bit too happily because she was starting to have feelings for him and Luke had not been able to resist her unknowing invitation. He had slid forward and deftly taken her mouth in his and, as before, this kiss had felt more right than any other they'd ever had with anyone else. What had happened next was exquisite. Neither of them had to put the thought into this act of passion that they always needed to put into their other sexual escapades, and they effortlessly followed the age-old ritual of love. It was simple and beautiful and left both of them contented. Or so Luke had thought.

* * *

This was not going to be fun, Luke thought to himself when he got the word that he and Sara were to go to the Church after their last classes of the day. Their parents had finally gotten around to calling them in to discuss their "behavior." Normally, these half-hearted scoldings were quite amusing but after a few more days of Sara avoiding him, he was not in the best of moods. 

Luke arrived at the church to find Sara already there, sulking in one of the chairs reading a schoolbook and both sets of parents talking happily at the other end of the church. When she noticed him, she glanced up and put her book down to join him in confronting their parents.

Cassie started by saying, "Whatever were you two thinking? You're in school. It doesn't matter that you're both smart enough to skip a few days, the teachers will really freak out of you just disappear like that."

"We're sorry," Luke said evenly just trying to get this over with.

"No, we're not," Sara started angrily with a glance at him. She was strangely feeling that she should defend them both and was irritated that, considering their proximity, Luke had not yet tried to talk to her. She'd gotten quite used to his attempts to win her over and now felt slighted which was ridiculous but she couldn't help it. "It's Lucifer's fault, Mom, he just came and…,".

"Honey, I'm not to be trusted, you know that," he said, with a smirk.

"Lucifer, you are partly to blame," Azazeal said.

"I usually am," he responded, "I was merely pointing out that one should consider the source when one decides to listen to me."

"You got us into this," Sara shot back to everyone's surprise. "And I think someone needs to keep a tighter hold on your leash," she exclaimed, taking out her frustration on him because he'd lead them on the path that had ended with her feeling like she did now.

All eyes but Elizabeth's were on Lucifer at this last remark but there was no response from the usually talkative Elizabeth, who seemed distracted by something else.

"Temper, temper," Lucifer said after an uncomfortable pause, giving her an amused but questioning look, "Where is this coming from, hmm?"

"Dad, we promise to never listen to you again, okay?" Luke interjected simply.

Cassie and Azazeal turned their attention to him, but Lucifer still stared at Sara who turned away, embarrassed now because Lucifer would surely know something had happened between her and Luke now.

"Well," Azazeal said, "there's no point in lecturing them."

"I suppose not," Cassie said looking at Azazeal, ready to get back to their prior conversation, and they were let go.

Luke and Sara shyly peeked at each other and then quickly walked in separate directions, with Lucifer noting their strange interaction.

"I'd like to go home, I think," Elizabeth announced suddenly coming out of her silence.

"Sweetie, we haven't even been here more than an hour."

"I'm tired, I haven't been sleeping well. Can we go?"

"Of course," he said concerned that he hadn't noticed this, but they said their goodbyes and headed home.

* * *

In the few days since she had become immortal, Elizabeth had started having a recurring dream or nightmare depending on how you looked at it and it didn't make sleeping easy. 

In this dream, she and Lucifer stood hand in hand before God who appeared to Elizabeth as a man surrounded by a brilliance of white light. At first she thought it strange that this was just how she'd always envisioned He would look and then realized that this was exactly why He looked like that (this was a dream, after all). She felt love, welcome and happiness coming from the man and she was pleased because it appeared that she and Lucifer had made it to heaven together. She would wonder what would happen next but she never wanted to be the one to speak first, so she would just look at Him for a few moments before drawing back her attention to Lucifer.

Lucifer was always staring fixedly at the figure and had taken a half step forward towards Him but had not released her hand. His eyes were soft but intent, his lips were slightly parted as if he might speak, and his body was almost imperceptibly inclined towards Him. He looked content but she could not tell what he was thinking or feeling. Lucifer just stood there, they stood there, for what seemed like a very long time with Lucifer enthralled by His presence, not moving in even the slightest way.

Neither of them spoke and it never took long for Elizabeth to decide what she should do, the same thing every time, because there seemed to be no other option. She would slowly begin to release her grip on Lucifer's hand and he would have no reaction. She was disappointed even though she hadn't expected him to react, but would comfort herself that this was for the best. She would gradually slipped her hand out of his and step back, pausing for a second to look at his back before turning to go. She would have cried if she could but the tears didn't come, although her heart would always ache.

She would generally wake up at that point, unhappy, but resigned to the fact that this may very well end up happening. But then she would feel him next to her, he was always closer to her then he needed to be in their large bed, and she would remind herself that she had him for now. It never helped really but it seemed like the best thing to do because if Lucifer was ever in God's presence again, she couldn't compete with that.


	47. Chapter 47

"_Someone needs to keep a tighter hold on your leash," _Cassie imitated Sara and snorted with laughter. Sara just stared at her mother.

"That was great," Cassie continued, "He deserved that. Bravo!"

"He's not that bad, mother."

"Oh, yes he is. He's always getting me caught in my own words."

"That's just…you don't understand him. He's fond of all of us."

"Wait, a minute ago you looked like you were about to smack him and now you're his biggest fan."

"Mom, I think dad wants you," and Cassie turned to see Azazeal who gave her the come over here look. Cassie turned back to look at Sara, who was now intensely involved in her book, and then left her.

* * *

"That child is a weird one," Cassie said to Azazeal a short time later, "Her mood changes at the drop of a hat. I think she needs to settle down and get a steady boyfriend." 

"Don't you worry about that," Azazeal said and began to nibble at her neck. "You know what we need, don't you?"

"Hmmm," was all Cassie could manage.

"We need," he went on slowly in a sexy low voice, "a new project. Something fun and complicated and intricate, like that environmental thing."

Cassie only sighed.

"Oh, and Ramiel's back from whatever he was doing while we were gone and he wants in too."

Cassie knew that it was pointless to try to think about this now so she turned and kissed him instead. She would worry about their next undertaking later and she would make it a good one, but for now all she wanted was his body.

* * *

Lucifer watched Elizabeth carefully the rest of the day and when they went to bed, he gathered her up in his arms and watched over her all night long. To stay in this human form he did need to sleep but not as much as he actually got. It was just another human pleasure, like sex, food, and cigarettes, and he enjoyed it immensely, but tonight he did not indulge himself. 

Elizabeth did not have the dream that night, probably because of his comforting presence, and she slept well, waking up full of energy and cheerful. She was still not as perfectly happy as she had been before the thoughts of Lucifer leaving her in the end had entered her mind but she managed to continue on with him with the same confidence and skill as before, most of the time. She felt that he deserved her help regardless. Besides, she thought to herself that she would inevitably forget about this as you eventually do when you torture yourself about your new boyfriend's ex and then after a few years you find yourself not caring anymore.

* * *

Late one night about a week later, Sara found herself outside Luke's door and then to her horror…she knocked at it. He opened the door, wearing only the boxer shorts he usually slept in and said, "Hi," waiting for her to speak. 

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

"For ignoring you."

"Come in," Luke said reluctantly, standing aside to let her enter, something he had told himself he wouldn't do. But she'd said she was sorry.

She sat on his chair and he sat on the foot of his bed and they sat in silence for a few moments.

"What have you been up to?" She asked.

He stared at her wide mouthed, "I've been miserable, that's what…How can you…?…I've been working on that stupid English paper, alright," he finished shaking his head.

"Luke…" Sara started and then stopped.

"Luke, since I came of age I've been wanting someone to be so intimate with that we don't need to speak, someone who needs me so much that we cannot be parted, someone who adores me and who I can love with out reserve."

This speech was irritating Luke because he thought he knew where it was headed but he only glowered at the floor.

"And you," she continued her voice now filled with amazement, "you gave that to me in one night like it was nothing. I was…I am terrified. Aren't you?"

A smile slowly crept across Luke's face and he looked up from the floor, "Love, emotion, intensity…these things do not scare me. Being alone, that scares me. Having no one who understands and loves me…That's terrifying."

They looked at each other for a moment and then Sara went over to him and pushed him back on the bed, silently indicating that he should scoot up and get under the covers. She striped down to her underwear, turned out the light, and nestled her self next to him where both of them fell asleep in short order.

* * *

Eventually, Lucifer began to feel the same subtle worry in Elizabeth again. He did not always pay this close attention to her moods, but since this worry was starting to effect her connection to him, he could feel the difference. He spent another night watching her sleep, this time catching the dream, and greeting her with a small smile when she woke to find him watching her. 

"You're jealous," he said, "For real this time. How adorable!"

"It's not adorable to me," she said a bit sadly, "It's just a reality I have to come to terms with."

"You don't believe it do you? Don't be silly," he said still amused by her dream.

"Lucifer, when you told me how you would try to get back to me if I died…I started to realize that what you must feel for God. I'm happy…no delighted to help you get back to heaven, but you're fooling yourself if you think I'm ultimately more that just a placeholder."

She said this as gently as she could because she didn't want him to worry about her, it would do them no good, but this immediately infuriated him.

"How can you say that?" he said with a raised voice, "I have not done all the good things that I have for a stand-in, I've done them for you."

"You have to believe that for this to work," she said carefully but this only made him angrier at the suggestion that he couldn't resist God…that he wouldn't choose her instead.

"You are wrong! He may be my creator but He abandoned me, for whatever reason, and you have not. It's simple, very simple. Where's your faith in me?" He hadn't thought of it until know but was actually slightly worried that she might be right. Althought, it just didn't make any sense to him that he could love her so much and then when presented with the two he would pick the one who had hurt him, even if his natural inclination would be towards Him.

"I believe you are capable of great things but you yourself have told me how weak you are when it comes to … the person who controls you."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Yes, I am insanely devoted to you, but I'm also stronger than you think now because, for you," he said a little snottily, "I've actually tried to live in this new state I've found myself in rather than just wallowing in self pity."

"And I'm proud of you…"

"I'll show you that I don't need the control," he said proudly now, "We'll go on working with Azazeal and Cassie, because I do get bored, but I'll do it myself. And since you're a disbeliever, no sex for you, and when you come begging for it, and I know you will, I will gloat excessively."

"Alright," she said with a smile, "We'll see what happens."

This challenge amused her and she was surprised at how seriously he was taking her suggestion that he would leave her in the end. It made her love him all the more that even if it were true that he could not resist his built-in attachment to God, for now at least, he was offended by the thought of it.

So Lucifer continued on with his assignments from Azazeal without relying on Elizabeth to ensure that they got done or that a bit of evil didn't wiggle its way in and he did very well all by himself. They sometimes worked together and sometimes apart, and they went home together every night like a normal couple. Azazeal did notice Elizabeth's lack of involvement with Lucifer and when he asked her about it she said with a mysterious smile, "We've got a bit of a bet going and I think he's winning."

Lucifer didn't tell Elizabeth that he'd developed enough of a bond with her now that just her strong presence was sufficient to keep him on the straight and narrow for quite a while because even God hadn't kept tabs on him constantly. He did prefer her direct interaction with him because he was not perfect and was prone to getting lonely, bored, and distracted so he could stray at anytime. But there were other things that he would miss more than her constant attention, which could present a bigger problem.

* * *

Cassie had been getting a bit frustrated that they weren't making as dramatic of an impact as she had hoped, but Azazeal had just smiled at her and told her that God had thousands of angels basically working on similar things and they weren't making much of a dent either. 

"Cassie, there's only so much we can do, are allowed to do because of the rules. But don't think that we're not helping."

"I know. I just wanted to…you know…change the world."

"If I could do that for you I would," he said sincerely, "but we can only work with what we are given."

"Well, you work wonders and I am grateful."

"I'd rather have you naked."

"Hey, focus," Cassie said with a slight blush and when on to describe what she wanted their little crew to do next.

* * *

Several weeks later upon arriving at the church with Elizabeth to see what Cassie had cooked up for them next, Lucifer stomped over to Azazeal and sat angrily down in the chair next to him. 

"What's wrong with you?"

Lucifer glared at him with glowing irritation, "I'm withholding sex. It's a long story…don't ask."

"And what is that supposed to accomplish exactly?" Azazeal asked, wondering if this was tied to the on-going bet with Elizabeth.

"I don't remember anymore," he growled, but he knew perfectly well why he'd started this.

"When Cassie was pregnant with Sara, I had a rough time with that."

"It's not just the sex," he practically yelled at Azazeal, whirling to glare at him again. He'd had plenty of sex before Elizabeth and none of it had done him any good.

Azazeal tried to suppress a smile and luckily Lucifer found it funny too.

"Sorry! Isn't there someone I can torture or something just to take the edge off," he laughed.

"I'm afraid not, my friend."

But Lucifer wasn't really paying attention to him, "But the way she feels, the way she tastes, that little moan she makes when I…"

"Yeah," Azazeal interrupted, "I get it."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at him, "And most of all…I NEED to worship her."

"I know," Azazeal said, understanding perfectly how essential that was to Lucifer in particular, it was like a mental orgasm that released the tension that built up from living in a world that Lucifer was not made to exist in. It was a time when they were most themselves but for some reason none of them could initiate it themselves, "Which is why I don't understand…"

"She's jealous," Lucifer interrupted and stated this like it explained everything.

"Of who?"

"You know who," he snarled and nodded upwards.

Azazeal chuckled, "She has a point."

"NO, she doesn't!!" Lucifer yelled and stood up to go because obviously he wasn't getting any support here but then sat back down again because he had nothing better to do at the moment.

"She doesn't get sex because she doesn't believe that I could choose her and that is insulting. I'm trying to prove that I can put my foot down."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know," Lucifer laughed at himself, "I wasn't thinking." He paused and added, "But she has to believe in my love for her."


	48. Chapter 48

Sara couldn't remember the last time she'd slept in her own bed and she was thankful that both she and Luke had managed to obtain private rooms for their stay at this silly school.

"Do you think people know?" She asked Luke.

"That you can't resist me, yes, they all know, dear," he said playfully.

"It is that obvious?"

"We barely hang out with any of our old friends and we're always together, Sara, and they know we're involved."

"But we can't let this get back to our parents."

"We're going to have to tell them eventually."

"Of course, but let's just keep it that way…eventually."

"Sara!"

"I'm not looking forward to my father's reaction. I don't think you're quite what he had in mind for me."

"Well, we're just going to have to change his mind, now aren't we," he grabbed her and kissed her deeply.

"Hey," she said, extracting herself, "I've got to go to my room to change. I'll see you in class," and she ran out.

She hoped that she could get Luke to agree to keep this secret for a while longer. Luke and Azazeal had never really had much to do with one another and although he wasn't what you'd expect a child of Lucifer to be like, she didn't think her father would approve. Not that her father had really approved of anyone that she'd been with. He just tended to ignore the fact that she was a grown woman and had sex and might eventually want to have children of her own.

Luke was not about to let Sara drag this out. He'd waited long enough to be with her and he wasn't going to let Azazeal stop him. Or his own father either. He wasn't sure if his father would have an opinion about the fact that they were more than just sexual partners but if he did, it would be impossible to predict.

* * *

As Cassie had noticed, especially since they'd come back from their fun little trip, Azazeal was no longer the slightest bit shy about asking for exactly what he wanted. And if she took too long to come up with a new project or something to do, he'd have some entertaining ideas of his own to suggest. She was exceedingly happy that he was so comfortable with their relationship now that they didn't have to dance around the fact that he needed her to want things from him. 

Cassie and Elizabeth were still busy, not only as part of the "A-Team," but as the acting mothers to all of the fallen angels. Sometimes those angels managed to get themselves into some pretty interesting conundrums but mostly they just had relationship problems (Go figure!), work problems, or questions about things in this world that they didn't understand. It was amazing how some of the lower choirs could be so talented at their specialty and yet so clueless when it came to anything else. But they loved them all and took great delight it seeing them happy.

One afternoon after Lucifer had left to do something for Azazeal, Elizabeth approached Azazeal with some questions. She could tell that things were getting more difficult for Lucifer and he would come back from doing relatively simple things more tired than he should be, as if he were expending a lot of energy trying not to screw it up. She allowed herself to be openly proud of him and she could tell it helped, besides there were no rules about cheating against yourself.

"How's he doing?" Elizabeth asked Azazeal.

"Better than I expected, considering."

"Is it just me or is it getting harder for him to keep this human form?"

"No, you're right. His non-physical form is not getting what it needs to keep his physical one in this world comfortable. I told him that he should just float about in the abyss for a while but he said that would be cheating."

Elizabeth and Azazeal both laughed at this.

"That wasn't part of the rules, in fact, there are no rules at all really. Maybe I should say something and put a stop to it. We never agreed upon a stopping point."

"Are you convinced?" Azazeal asked, not having to explain that he knew what their bet was about.

She made a face, "Not entirely, but I want to be."

"Then let him succeed or fail on his own. He's trying to show you something."

"But what if he does something horrible because I'm not there?"

"I wouldn't be too concerned about that. It's not the lack of your direct guidance that's the problem."

"What does that mean?"

Azazeal considered telling her what was bothering Lucifer the most but he thought it was best to keep that to himself, so he only graced her with a mysterious smile. Elizabeth thought about this for a while but couldn't come up with the answer.

Lucifer came back about an hour later and they went home. He was a bit snappy with everyone, even her on occasion, and so didn't like to stay away from home anymore that he had to. She admired his determination and was impressed by what he was capable of on his own, but she didn't like to see him struggling. However, each time she tried to hint or insinuate that he'd done enough, he would ignore it and want to hold her, as if that would provide plenty of help and it did, just not enough.

Lucifer was annoyed that she wasn't seeing what he was trying to communicate to her but he did manage to find it interesting that the hardest thing for him was actually not being able to express himself to her as an angel, her angel. His love, his desire, his adoration could not be articulated in human words and apparently this inability to feel and communicate these things had been a major player in his original descent into madness. He wasn't normally put in this position and she was completely unaware of how important it was and really didn't totally understand what actions on her part could trigger it…if she did she probably would have helped him out.

The activity that Cassie's projects gave him kept him from getting too bored, though not without a a struggle to concentrated, but without the tasks he would have been in real trouble. Even he hadn't thought that just Elizabeth's presence and the knowledge of what she would want from him could keep him going this long, but he felt that it proved his point that it had. She was his stronghold now and he knew she was proud of him, so he kept at it, wanting to test his limits so that he would know his own breaking point and hopfully finally get her to understand him completely. He'd never try this again, that was for sure, because it was all so much easier when she was with him all the time, directing him, and he didn't have to think so hard. Besides, he missed her, even though they went home every night together, and he felt that he was still as weak and selfish as ever in many ways, but that didn't bother him as long as he was able to make her believe that he would never leave her.

* * *

The next time Luke and Sara joined their parents for a nice Sunday dinner, they didn't always grace them with their presence, Luke was determined to make his announcement. Sara however was perfectly happy to pretend that they were still just friends and that annoyed him more than she realized. 

After dinner, when their parents were relaxing just the four of them together, Luke grabbed Sara's hand and dragged her over to them. Sara tried to fight him, knowing what he was up to, but once their parents looked up at them, Sara was forced to stop.

"We have something to tell you," Luke began.

"No, we don't," Sara said with a laugh to suggest that he was playing.

"Yes, we do," he insisted, giving her a slight glare.

Turning back to their parents, Luke almost lost his nerve when he saw the stern looks on Azazeal's and Lucifer's faces. He could tell that Cassie and Elizabeth were waiting for his news before forming an opinion but the fathers looked like they didn't need or want to hear what he had to say.

"Sara and I…" he paused to firm up his resolve, "We are together."

"And by together you mean…?" Azazeal said smoothly after an uncomfortable pause.

"We're in love," Sara spoke up to Luke's surprise and all eyes were shifted to her.

"That's problematic. Don't you think so Lucifer?"

"Indeed, very problematic."

"I don't see why." Luke said.

Azazeal whirled on him, "Well, you wouldn't, would you?"

Elizabeth expected Lucifer to defend Luke here but he appeared to share Azazeal's thoughts on this matter.

"Let's hear them out, shall we?" Elizabeth said.

"Yeah," Cassie added, "Just how in love are we talking about?"

Sara and Luke looked at each other and that was all Cassie and Elizabeth needed to see, but Luke said, "Very much." Cassie gave Elizabeth a questioning look and Elizabeth shrugged in response. Neither of them knew what the problem was.

"Well, that's very nice for you both but we can't let this go on, can we?" Azazeal said.

"No, we can't," Lucifer confirmed as if this was the final word.

Luke and Sara both immediately flared with fury and began to talk over one another in protest, insisting that neither of them had any intention of letting the other go, damn the consequences, and their fathers could just go to hell.

Amidst the flurry of vows and curses coming from both Sara and Luke, Azazeal and Lucifer turned to look at one another and simultaneously cracked a smile, which lead to copious amounts laughter, leaving Sara and Luke confused and irritated.

Once Azazeal got his breath back he said, "This is exactly what we have wanted for quite some time."

"Yes, Az and I," Lucifer said gregariously, getting a dirty look from Azazeal at the shortening of his name, "have been discussing just this outcome for a long time. It is definitely preferable to you both trying to make a life with a human. They're very difficult."

"Without a doubt," Azazeal agreed, and both he and Lucifer received playfully annoyed looks from their women.

"So you're saying…?" Luke started.

"She's all yours," Azazeal said with a smile, but then changed to a harsh expression, "But if you ever…"

"Oh, leave the boy alone, Az," Lucifer said, cutting him off, "I'm more worried about what she'll do to him, that minx."

"Don't you dare talk about her that way," Azazeal said almost getting up but not really meaning it as seriously as it sounded, just excited from the fun they were having and enjoying the banter with Lucifer.

Lucifer however gave him a steely glare, reminding Azazeal that, in his current state of frustration, Lucifer barely needed an excuse to take out his wrath on anyone who gave him the slightest cause. Azazeal quickly ceased any further pursuit of this issue.

"Go on, you two, we were having a pleasant conversation before you interrupted so rudely," and the two young lovers left gratefully.

Sara and Luke were extremely relieved at their parent's, eventual, blessing of their relationship. Besides, they had meant every vow and curse they had uttered and it would have been very interesting to see who would have won that battle of wills if they'd had to go up against their own fathers. In their current state of happiness, they both quickly determined that their fathers should pay for their little joke and set about thinking up a suitable trick.

* * *

Just two days later, Ramiel walked into the church to report to Azazeal on what he had accomplished that day. He gave a quick nod to Cassie as he went by and proceeded directly to Azazeal's staging area. As he approached the entryway, Ramiel got in Lucifer's way as Lucifer was leaving Azazeal (Not really, but Lucifer's interpretation of what was in his way was very liberal at this point). Upon seeing Ramiel coming towards him, Lucifer grinned evilly and sent him flying across the room to slam hard against the wall at which point his grin increased and he turned to walk over to the unfortunate angel. Lucifer picked him up by the throat and lifted him up over his head. 

Cassie and Elizabeth heard the commotion and turned in time to see Lucifer pick Ramiel up. Cassie was already furious before Elizabeth even had a chance to call his name but it didn't work. Elizabeth took a moment to gather herself to try harder and saw Lucifer effortlessly toss Ramiel sideways to hit another wall.

"LUCIFER STOP!" She shouted, thinking his real name in her head and using all of the emotion and force that she had behind it.

In a split second, he was smiling pleasantly and attentively down at her. Elizabeth was relieved but Cassie was about wring his neck, when he put his arms around Elizabeth and started to shake. Azazeal popped next to Cassie and took her arm to restrain her as Lucifer began to whisper to Elizabeth in angelic.

"He'll be okay now," Azazeal said pulling Cassie away.

"I don't care about that bastard," she flared but it was impossible not to be effected by devotion with which Lucifer was speaking to Elizabeth and Cassie's attitude softened a little.

He was completely entranced because of the force of her order had triggered the response that he'd been so urgently longing for and he would clearly be continuing like this for some time, expressing things to her that he hadn't been able to in several weeks. Elizabeth seemed to understand and did not try to stop him, closing her eyes and listening to him lovingly. Cassie was struck by this look at Lucifer's softer side, which she rarely got a glimpse of, and she caught a few phrases that shocked her with their ardent affection and tenderness.

"Ramiel is okay too. I'll explain later," Azazeal said and Cassie let him draw her away but she went immediately to check on poor Ramiel but she found him to also be aware that something had been wrong with Lucifer but that he would be fine now. This acceptance of Lucifer's behavior still managed to annoyed her but once Azazeal explained, she could only shake her head at Lucifer's absurd solution to Elizabeth's "jealousy" and the mayhem that had ensued.

* * *

Elizabeth held Lucifer tightly and actually had to hold him up a few times because he kept trying to sink to his knees. If they had been alone she would have let him, but here in front of everyone, she was not about to allow it. She could tell this was distressing him slightly but not enough to make him stop. She could sense his relief at being able to express himself to her, but she also had the strange feeling that this was all that he needed. She had assumed that he would eventually do something bad or come to her in an aggressive mood looking for her to take control again, but he was calm already. He was agitated not with the desire for her to exert dominance but with the hope that would understand something and accept it. But she just couldn't figure out what.

* * *

At home Lucifer was quiet, unhappy with himself. He hadn't meant to take it out on Ramiel and he was sorry for that, but he felt much better now that he'd been able to release all that energy.

"So," Elizabeth said with a laugh, "what happened there?"

Responding to her teasing attitude, he said with crossed arms, "You can't just command me like that and not expect it to trigger that kind of reaction. It's part of my charm."

"I see," she said, "But what did Ramiel do?"

"He approached me at…an ill-timed moment," he responded, smiling innocently.

"Obviously," she said with a smile, "So let's call this bet of ours a draw, shall we?"

"Oh, no, my sweet, that is not acceptable. I've done my job very well, ask Azazeal."

"But you threw Ramiel against a wall…twice!"

"A minor misunderstanding," he continued to smile as if he were blameless.

She put her arms around his neck and looked at him with an amused and happy smile. "I don't know why your little game worked but it did. You may be foolish but I believe that you are stubborn enough to decide for yourself."

"I told you," he said arrogantly.

"Now," she said and began to slip her cloths off, "I believe I have some begging to do."

Lucifer smiled wickedly, quite pleased with himself, and thankful that he now had the willpower to enjoy his reward properly.


	49. Chapter 49

"They're doing it again!"

"Of course they are, they're in love," Cassie said glancing up from the book she was reading.

"But do they have to kiss like that all over the house?" Azazeal asked in annoyance.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Young people are like that…actually you're like that, so it's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Just let them be."

Azazeal sat next to her on the couch in the alter area where they were alone for the time being.

"Since when had you and Lucifer been hoping to get them together?" Cassie asked.

He smiled mischievously, "Since she came back from spending those few months with them in California. I saw them together and at first I didn't like it but I started to watch him. I eventually decided that there was no one who would understand her better or be as dedicated to her as he would. He's like his father that way."

"So, you both have been plotting this for that long, huh?" She twisted and put her head in his lap and looked up at him.

"Not plotting, just hoping, it had to be their choice, which is why our little trick was in place, to be sure how they really felt about each other. Lucifer was supposed to keep his mouth shut but apparently he let something slip when he stole them away. But I don't think that effected anything."

"You two working together is dangerous, I think."

"It always had been," he agreed.

After a pause she asked, "You're happy aren't you?" In a tone that was half way between a question and a statement.

"Deliriously!" he responded genuinely and moved some hair out of her face with a delicate finger.

She smiled and enjoyed the fact that this type of question did not immediately offend him or worry him. Most of the time he seemed to know 'how' she meant the things she said, so little misunderstandings were rare.

"Me too," she said.

"I don't know what would have become of me if you hadn't captured my heart," he said reflectively, "I was so filled with anger and confusion and then there you were. So beautiful and strong and just different enough to be wonderfully special. You were scared of me," he laughed, "but more annoyed than anything else and that was fascinating."

"And you were very mysterious and creepy, pushy too."

"I had a job to do, but you completely distracted me."

"Well, I am far more attractive than Lucifer."

"That's true!" he agreed, "I don't know exactly what it was about you but somehow I knew, like Lucifer must have known with Elizabeth, that…we could be like this, like we are now, if I could just figure out how."

Cassie lifted herself up, kissing him as he put a supporting hand against her back.

"What kind of example are we going to set if we carry on like this?" he said in between kisses.

"You've got to be kidding?" Cassie laughed, "You have to be the most lusty angel of them all and Sara gets it from you."

"It's not entirely from me," he rumbled and Cassie responded with a kiss that proved his point perfectly. Cassie maneuvered herself astride his lap and settled in for the long haul.

"MOM! DAD! Gross!," Sara whined and Cassie and Azazeal paused only for a second and a quick look in each other's eyes, before Cassie waved her away without turning.

Sara and Luke smiled at each other. They had heard Cassie and Azazeal's voices and had come over to ask if Sara could spend the summer with Luke in California when they had found them kissing. Sara had grinned and effected disgust at their display for Luke's benefit.

"We'll come back when you're less…uh, occupied," Luke piped up to let them know that he was there too, but this did not stop them either, so he shrugged at Sara and they left them alone.

* * *

After Elizabeth had, finally, gotten Lucifer to stop gloating and take her already, they had some of the most desperately passionate sex of all time, which was closely followed the next morning by more of the same but with a bit more control. 

Lucifer rolled onto his back and stretched luxuriously, letting the afterglow of the sex and the adoration envelop him, thinking that there was only one more thing that he needed to be completely in heaven.

"Mmmmm, honey, send me to the ends of the earth!"

Elizabeth just smiled to herself.

"Ah, there must be some stupid thing I can fetch for you or…anything. Just command me," he said sincerly.

"You're so weird."

"No, I'm not," he rolled back over to look at her seriously, "I'm your angel and if you don't let me do something for you right now, I…" he thought for a second, "I'm going to tickle you until you can't breathe. And I know how you hate that."

"Oh, no not that!" She protested playfully as he started to creep fingers around her mid-section.

"Fine!," she giggled, "French croissants for breakfast and a bottle of that wine I like from that place with the pretty house…for later," she said knowing that he'd know which wine she meant.

"Predictable," he grumbled happily.

"Are you complaining?"

"Never!" and he insisted and left shortly to do as she asked.

* * *

After breakfast and an attempt at a simple shower, which failed miserably but enjoyably, they lounged around the house and talked. 

"So you were basically fine and all you needed was to…you know…do that thing," Elizabeth said.

"Mostly, yes," he pursed his lips and considered chiding her for this shyness that seeped out on occasion, but decided against it, "I cheated though, if you want to know the truth, but only technically."

"How?" Elizabeth asked, amused.

"You were still here every day, every night. You were still watching and I knew what you expected of me. So, I wasn't really doing it on my own. You see, when I was a real angel, His presence was enough and you've been inhabiting that same place in my life and growing in strength since we fell in love. It just took a while for everything to unwind itself for you. It had been a very long time since anyone had paid me, the real me, the slightest bit of attention."

"When did you figure this out?"

"When I kidnapped the kids that time, I was restless but I found myself not at all interested in doing things that I knew you wouldn't like. I just missed you, so I came home."

Elizabeth smiled, "I missed you too."

"But I'm not perfect," he warned but looked sad at the same time as if he could be perfect but not yet, "so I will still need your help. Like Azazeal. He had Cassie for a long time and they were happy, had two children, but he could never relax until she knew him and treated him as the angel that he is." He added this last bit with a guarded hopfulness that didn't register with Elizabeth until later.

"I'm still proud of you and I won't doubt you again...But is my bad boy gone?" she pouted playfully.

"Not a chance, darling. You're just so sexy when you're angry. I plan on pissing you off on a regular basis just for the make-up sex."

She smiled at this but didn't put it past him to purposely do something to provoke her or even lie about having done something for the fireworks that followed.

The next day she rewarded him further by taking away all of the annoying choices and decisions and letting him exist as an extension of her will. Despite his assertion that in their normal life her presence alone could go along way towards keeping him good, he didn't bother to deny that he preferred this state of undeniable control because it was closer to perfection.

* * *

About a week later, Elizabeth and Lucifer visited the church again. 

"Elizabeth, it's not fair!" Cassie said, approaching Elizabeth when she was alone.

"What's not?"

"I had planned on yelling at Lucifer, since no one else has scolded him yet. And I know you haven't, 'cause I can see it in your dreamy eyes. I had a whole speech prepared."

"Go ahead," Elizabeth laughed.

"I can't yell at him when he's like that. You spoiled it. He's all sweet and nice…"

"Sorry, dear! How's Ramiel?"

"Oh, he's fine…doesn't care one jot about what happened."

" Good! And how are you?"

"Great, wonderful in fact. You were right, you know! As soon as I figured out the angel that was Azazeal and dealt with him that way, we've been getting closer ever since."

"I'm glad!"

"And before I forget, Luke and Sara are planning to spend the summer in California with you."

"Alright!"

"And they're cooking up a scheme to get back at Azazeal and Lucifer so don't be surprised if you're roped into it."

"Oh, goodie! I love a good hoodwink!"

"Me too!


	50. Chapter 50

About a year later, Sara and Luke finished Mendham together and insisted that they have a proper wedding, since no one else in the family seemed interested in tradition. They had never ended up getting back at Azazeal and Lucifer for pretending to forbid their relationship, but the wedding idea annoyed their fathers enough that it satisfied this goal.

Out of fatherly over protectiveness, Azazeal hated the idea of Luke taking possession of Sara so officially, which was, of course, a complete overreaction.

"It's such an archaic ritual!" He told Cassie after gritting his teeth through Luke and Sara's pronouncement that they were getting married, "It's all about property exchange, money, and social status."

"Yes, I'm well aware of the history of marriage, but what they want to do is declare in front of our friends and family that they are in love and will remain together forever."

"Couldn't they just send out a letter then?" he spat.

Cassie laughed, "You're funny."

"I'm not trying to be," he started with irritation, but then softened a bit, "Why couldn't we just have a celebration of some kind as an announcement of their relationship? Why does there have to be this…ceremony?"

"Wow, you really don't like this idea."

"Malachi isn't married," he interjected still making his point.

"Yes, yes, I get it. But, Azazeal how is this any different than our rings. It's just a statement of our relationship."

He took this information in and began considering it so she just let him mull it over. He eventually gave in a few days later once he allowed himself to hear what Luke and Sara actually had planned…not that Cassie's affectionate coaxing didn't help. He realized that it couldn't do any harm and Sara was so excited about the prospect of having her own big day that he knew he couldn't bring himself to really put his foot down.

Lucifer was just jealous because he couldn't truly understand it. Everyone already knew that Luke and Sara were together and he didn't see the point in promising to stay together. Either you loved or you didn't and if you did, you would never betray that. It sort of offended his sense of loyalty that humans deemed this stupid ceremony necessary, but he didn't like the feeling that he was missing something. For change, however, he trusted that if Elizabeth thought this marriage thing was okay then it was.

The ceremony itself was conducted in Azazeal and Cassie defunct church as was not exactly traditional but generally followed the same format we would all recognize. An actual priest would have been far too conventional so they had Haniel preside over the event, which primarily consisted of her announcing the reason for their gathering and asking Luke and Sara to proclaim their vows for everyone to hear. It was beautiful and touching and both Cassie and Elizabeth cried, while Azazeal and Lucifer watched proudly despite themselves. The party afterwards was the best part, as they generally were, with all the usual angelic antics and fun.

* * *

At the reception, Luke and Sara watched as Elizabeth extracted Lucifer from a flirty little group of female angels and brought him over to them. She clearly knew what he was up to and was playing her part. You could see it in her eyes. 

"Why don't you spend some time with the bride and groom?" Elizabeth suggested suppressing a smile, "I've still got some things to help Cassie with."

"They won't be nearly as tantalizing as ladies you took me from," he replied.

"Behave yourself!" She did her best to sound angry but a hint of amusement still peaked through.

"Yes, dear," he said patronizingly.

After Elizabeth left them, Sara asked, "Why do you do that? You've been perfect for over a year now and yet you regularly do things to irritate her. And I know what kind of thing happens when you do, she was very easy to read just now."

"Sara, this body is merely a toy and sometimes…I give it to her to play with," he said in his sexist voice.

"Dad! Don't give her any ideas," Luke interjected.

"Ah, I see I've taught you well, my pupil."

"I suspected as much," Luke said, "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"I did you a favor, son, you'll thank me later." Luke rolled his eyes. As unprepared for the emotional connection between them as Sara had been, Luke had been just an unprepared for the physical one. He'd always been in charge of all his previous sexual experiences but Sara had showed quite a talent for taking him completely by surprise.

"To answer your question, Sara," Lucifer continued still with a naughty glint in his eyes, "What the divine experience was for me, not even your father can comprehend. There are things I am meant to feel, things I am meant to give, that are hers now. And since my lovely Elizabeth is a human, I must express them in a way she can understand. It was originally your father's discovery and I have perfected it for myself, through extensive research," Lucifer grinned.

"But why the games?" she asked.

"My dear, in the figurative stark light of day the true extent of my devotion and the way I would express it would unsettle her. But she appreciates all of my…deviant desires and has always known how to satisfy them. And now they have begun to create the most heavenly experiences," he lazily closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again the naughty glint had changed to hunger.

"You get all that from kinky sex?"

"Sara, Sara, Sara, sometimes the most unexpected things produce just the sensation you're looking for and I need her to take me there."

Just then Sara notice Elizabeth coming back over to them. Elizabeth put her hand on his shoulder and he turned to her. When their eyes met, she smiled with understanding at the need in them, and said, "Let's go home."

* * *

Lucifer's unflinching sexuality had continued to ensure that he constantly amazed Elizabeth with what he was willing to do, what he wanted to do, and what he was capable of doing to satisfy her most intimate desires and, as she discovered a bit later, to satisfy his deepening angelic needs as well. Absolutely nothing was off limits. For him, sex itself, in all of its forms, was a sublime act of devotion (His favorite one!) and so he approached it with an ardent abandon which had the ability to bring her to the limits of human experience and throw his mind and body into blazingly rapture and unrestrained adoration. It was, of course, sensuously exciting for Elizabeth that he so completely committed his mind and body to their love making, turning her on further, which was one way to temporarily quiet Lucifer's seemingly insatiable craving to please her. 

When she ask him why he did this and why he had always had such a strong reaction to sex with her, he smiled at her as if he had thought she already understood. "Your love," he had said and at this word he had smiled fondly, "and the pleasure of our bodies together are the rewards you give to me for my love and obedience. It has always been so. It would be unthinkable not to accept them and experience them as deeply as I am able. Besides," he had added lowering his voice to a sexy rumble, "everything belongs to you, doesn't it _naneel_, even my orgasm." Elizabeth had smiled to herself and it made sense to her that he would think of sex this way given that she had indeed established it as something he had had to earn. She had initally seen it as a control tacit, however she had quickly found that she actually wanted him to surrender so that she could give herself to him out of love, not just so that she could get her way. She had also always enjoyed and encouraged his reaction to the pleasure she gave him because she had always seen the intensity of sexual climax as a surrender of its own. He must have sensed these things from the beginning. He had eventually gone on to explain how their love making sometimes built to such fevered levels of passion. Regardless of who initiated the act, when she radiated love as they were in each other arms, when she burned with pleasure at his touch, and when she gave him pleasure, he received it all with as much love as she gave it and, naturally, responded with worship and adoration increasing her pleasure and his own. It was in his nature to receive and reflect great depths of feeling and, for her benefit, he did this not only in whispered angelic and wordless emanations of profound emotions, but physically as well.

Lucifer and Elizabeth had continued to work with Cassie and Azazeal to try to make a difference in this world and hopefully earn Lucifer's way back in to God's good graces. Lucifer was still a challenge but no longer in terms of his capacity for malevolence. He was as playful and adventurous as ever, but he would not have disappointed Elizabeth by being evil for the entire world. He did sometime act like an over-excited puppy when he could focus on nothing but pleasing her, their more general work with Cassie and Azazeal apparently did not satisfy this, and she would often need to take time out to spend with him alone. He didn't seem to care that her desires were small (she liked good food, wine, nature, horses, art and him) but he simply could not relax without providing little personal things for her.

Through out their relationship, just when Elizabeth had thought that she knew him completely, Lucifer had always showed her and given her more of himself. He was a complex being but she had never expected all that had happened between them. She was absolutely delighted that he had found the peace that he was looking for because, if she was honest with herself, in the beginning she had thought that they would always struggle with each other over the evil things that he did. He was the devil after all. It still took sometime, however, for her to figure him out completely and to determine why he was still a little out of control with some of his actions, but she was so happy with him that she barely noticed.

* * *

It was Cassie, actually, who discovered the human flaw that made life with them imperfect for their angelic lovers. In planning the wedding celebration with Sara, she had left Azazeal pretty much on his own for entertainment. This had not initially been a problem and they did ask him to do a few things for them but after two weeks, he was picking little fights, at least in Cassie estimation. 

"This thing is getting a bit involved isn't it? How much time is it going to take to get this planned?"

"Well, the day had been picked so up until then, we'll be busy," Cassie replied evenly, not wanting to get into it again.

"You want to do this don't you?" He said irritably.

"Do what?"

"This wedding thing, you're putting all of your energy into this because it's really what you want for yourself."

"Hey, where is this coming from?"

"Why don't you just ask me or just tell me that this is what you want?"

"I don't need this, it's for Sara and Luke."

"It's not! You're all worked up over this."

"You're just bored," she said and he stormed off at this accusation. She regretted it the second she said it but he was acting like a miniature Lucifer. She wasn't ignoring him but she wasn't paying enough attention to him.

Later that day however he was far from angry and when she was content after accomplishing a lot that day, he gave her a curious look as if inspecting her for some sign of…something, but then smiled at her and gave her a kiss.

The next morning after Cassie had had a shower and had gone over her list of things to do that day, she was confronted with an unhappy Azazeal again. She shook her head at his strangeness, but after talking to Elizabeth about Lucifer and his patterns, it finally struck her.

"Elizabeth," she said grabbing her arm, "I think I know what it is!"

"Good because I'm stumped."

"When I'm content, not just happy mind you, really satisfied, he's fine, but when I get agitated and I don't ask him to help, it bothers him."

* * *

After a few more "scientific experiments," they determined that the problem was the constant human state of wanting, needing, and worrying about things that made Azazeal and Lucifer uneasy if they weren't otherwise occupied. The girls didn't even notice this human tendency but discovered that for the boys to truly do nothing, the girls had to be completely content and whenever they were the boys were more than happy to remain still. But depending on the level of the girls wants and needs, their angels would want more and more to do their job. If there was something to be done, they wanted to do it. Since they didn't know what was lacking, they relied on the girls tell them and didn't understand when they weren't asked to fulfill an obvious (to them anyway) need or desire. 

The abnormal stress of the wedding planning on Cassie was what brought the problem out in to the light. Azazeal didn't really understand what he was feeling but he knew that it had to do with whatever Cassie was feeling about this wedding. She was worrying (really just the way we worry about anything we're responsible for) and he needed to respond to that, but he knew nothing about what she really wanted or needed and she wasn't asking him for anything. It was like she was keeping something from him and all he wanted to do was what he always did: help her. After the revelation with Elizabeth, Cassie found a way to include him in her endeavors, which worked as predicted, and Elizabeth and she jokingly determined that they needed to be more Zen.

They further discovered later that now that Azazeal and Lucifer were so connected to them, the girls moods could also be part of the problem, although much less so than their wants and needs. In particular, Azazeal and Lucifer admitted that they could actually feel the loosening of emotions that regularly occurred each month as a result of their female cycle. Cassie and Elizabeth, having lived with it for so long, hardly noticed these "alleged" changes in mood but apparently they were being subtlety responded to, which explained certain misunderstandings that occurred when the emotions behind the girls requests distracted from the goal and also a few cute emotional displays.

Lucifer, more than Azazeal of course, could be dramatically effected by any changes in mood. There was one day where all Lucifer would do was follow Elizabeth and whenever she stopped, he wrapped himself around her and kissed her neck, shoulders, arms, hands and whatever else she'd let him get his lips on. Cassie had happened to visit them that day and shook her head at him.

"Just ignore him," Elizabeth had said pleasantly, after having put up with it all morning, "He's an accessory today, like a necklace," at which Lucifer had chuckled but did not stop. The next day he was perfectly normal and made no reference to the strangeness of the previous day as if whatever had inspired it was gone. As it had turned out, Elizabeth had been in uncharacteristically low sprits and dwelling on, as humans do, old worries and regrets that were no longer actively part of her life. Lucifer had chosen to respond with quiet, if slightly bothersome assurance, partially because he enjoyed being as ridiculous as possible since it always made her smile and partially to distract her all day because he seen this before and Elizabeth, once lost in these thoughts, was not easily coaxed back.

Azazeal generally kept his reactions much more subdued and was simply prone to wanting to keep her all to himself on occasion, particularly when she was very happy. He adored spending time alone together when she was that happy because she was so full of life. And when she was a bit down his longstanding protectiveness showed itself. Cassie eventually found that, in typical womanly fashion, she was usually quite flattered by his protective nature, except when it kept her from doing what she wanted. Who says we can't have the best of both worlds?

It made a lot of sense the more they thought about it and after talking about it with Azazeal and Lucifer, they determined that they just weren't used to a constant barrage of desires and emotions. Either God wanted something or He didn't and He certainly didn't get all worked up like these silly women.

* * *

_The end is near! Just not quite yet._


	51. Chapter 51

_Lucifer secretly watched Elizabeth from the other end of the workroom as she painted. He'd been standing behind her for several minutes and had considered letting her know that he was here because she would turn and give him that wonderful smile she always did, but instead he just smiled to himself. The painting that she was working on had started out a just the figure of a man, but now she was carefully adding angel wings, his wings in great detail, to the figure and this had somehow made him pause. Perhaps because it showed just how much attention she had paid to him the only time he had shown her his wings. He was now able to appreciate just how much she loved him, just how much care she took with him, and just how much attention she had always given him through all of his childish tantrums and maneuverings for more attention. _

Lucifer had felt some proverbial bumps and bruises during his journey to his current state of happiness, it had been a difficult one, but he would have done it all again. He did regret that at first he hadn't taken it all that seriously, believing that even though he was in love with her, Elizabeth would be a minor help with his need for attention and direction and would be most effective as a distracting sex partner. The arraignment she had quickly developed, using sex to control him, was ingenious. It had begun to amuse him as it had started to tug at old feelings, but it wasn't until the huge mistake of the genocide that he realized just how much he loved and needed her. It was like a punch in the stomach when she had sent him away and it was then that it had dawned on him that she might be capable of much more than he had suspected. He had actually surprised himself when his distress had caused him to offer submission to make up for this mistake, but looking back on it, he was glad that she had elicited that response, because it had started him on the road to where he was now. 

They had been happy after that and he'd been proud to give her a child. He had been close, so close, to loving her in a way that would have destroyed all of his fear and anger at being tossed out of heaven, leaving only his desire to please her, but the dream about her death had torn him apart. It sometimes it frightened him to think of what he would have done in the days that followed if it had been true...if she had died. But what bothered him most was that after the first few wonderful weeks of playing with his son and being even more in love with Elizabeth because she had created this beautiful boy, he had acted out again. All of the happiness and the normalness of his life had terrified him, because he had been forced to face what the pain of her loss would feel like. What if he ruined this, what if it was taken from him, what if she could not forgive him anymore? So, he'd worried himself into doing what he should not, but there were no excuses for what he had done. He'd been disappointed enough in himself to wish with all his heart that she could make him stop this madness, not yet realizing that the choice had been his all along. He knew he could give her total control and told her what he wanted without thinking. He supposed that her reaction was understandable because, in his agitation, he'd likened it to being her slave, which technically was the closest human concept, and this had not gone over well. It still amused him that she had thought that he'd left her when he had actually been quite pleased at the sensation of her demanding that he learn a little self-control. She hadn't quite understood then, as she did now, how much it turned him on to not be able to ignore her when she was that forceful, but he'd known he was falling for her even more when he'd scampered off to do exactly what she'd told him to do.

Not too long after returning to her it had occurred to him that what he had done on both of those occasions when he'd had to earn her forgiveness. He'd been able to surrender to her so completely that it calmed him and he decided to show her exactly the kind of thing it would take to recreate this without all the hysterics. He'd sort of given it to her as part of her Christmas/Birthday present but the gift concept had been lost on her, because it had seemed like just another of his playful games, but that was fine. She'd gotten the hint and used it against him with great skill in addition to taking him up on his offer to occasionally surrender his will to her. He had actually been surprised that she had tried it because she had seemed to opposed to the idea, but he wanted it so much that he didn't question her. Existing with her that way was strange because he was so…innocent and everything felt different, but it was almost perfect, almost because she could not have handled it for long, but it was in this state that he was most like his former self.

After a few months he'd begun to worry that he'd screw up again because they were happy and because his open displays of love for her made her uncomfortable. In an unprecedented move, though most of his relationship with Elizabeth was unprecedented, he had tried to explain to her in words rather than in playful games how much of him belonged to her and he had asked her to never leave him. She had understood better than he had hoped and had worked out new ways to help him too that showed a spark of understanding what he had told her.

Then, Michael's little visit had thrown a wrench into things, more so than Lucifer had at first thought that it would. At first, the powers-that-be saw fit to try to threaten him in to staying with Elizabeth and then it turned out that he could damn her if he made her immortal. They were always meddling! But in the end he had realized that he couldn't live without her and that he wanted to trust that she could make him worthy of heaven again.

Of course, on top of all of this, Elizabeth had got it into her head that he would eventually leave her for God if they made it to heaven. Looking back on it now, he had mostly been offended because it had still been probably true and as a result he had been determined to show her that he could function without the control, even though it was technically a lie, in another effort to explain himself to her. As he had tried to tell her before, he was hers and if she would just... But then somehow, finally, after his proud display that he could control himself, he had realized that, duh, he could control indeed himself and had been doing so for some time. He had thought he needed her to do something to make him to stop all forms of evil but in fact it had been his choice all along. He had just needed a reason to do so.

As he had trusted her more and more, he had slowly released his anger at having been ignored for so long and let his love for her take over. He had been acting like a spoiled child, and maybe he had deserved to be angry, but it had been too long and Elizabeth was been worthy of better…so he had stopped, he just stopped. It was like the flip of a switch and it was all over. For all of his power, strangeness, and seeming complexity, he was a simple creature. He was love and that love controlled everything else, but he really hadn't been able to trust it or in her love for him until now. Originally, he had been too damaged by the lack of love that had been his existence since he was thrown out of heaven that he had only be capable of a simple dominance game in order for him to experience the surrender that he needed. In addition, Elizabeth's humanity had been an easy excuse to convince himself that he should protect himself from having to give to more and to indulge in horrible things to cover up his fear of surrendering completely. But she had truly become the focus that he needed for his love, which had been lost without someone to give itself to. Now he could believe in their love for each other and could feel it with him all the time, which was how it was supposed to be. He was genuinely in love again, to his full capacity, and she returned his love and that was all he needed. And once that was decided, the fact that he had free will no longer bothered him, though he sometimes struggled with it, because she expected and helped him to exercise it with thoughtfulness and control, which he gladly did out of devotion to her.

Eventually, it became obvious to Elizabeth that Lucifer's perfectly angelic side was not exactly what she had thought it was. She assumed it was an un-natural state, just a shadow of his former self, that he forced himself into to make her happy, but the truth was that it was completely him it a way that she had not been willing to accept before. She had initially reacted to it so negatively, that he had resigned himself to never being able to give his love to her in that way and when she experimented with it, he had let her form her own opinion and had tried not to be hopeful that she would accept it. She had always been uncomfortable with his unguarded displays of devotion, even when they were alone, and her embarrassment and blushes at his desire to please her hurt him more that he had let her know. But he had moved past that and refused to let that stop him from loving her completely, even if she still wasn't yet capable of fully understanding her role in his life. She eventually came to understand that he was all the things she knew him to be all of the time and she only had to ask him and he would be whatever she wanted because of his love for her. Her understanding of the fact that his love was absolute in a way that required complete acceptance from her in return allowed him to trust her enough to try out a more human existance at the same time as being her angel. 

Of course, she had some new things to learn about him now since their relationship was no longer about control and surrender. She had figured out on her own that his silliness was now driven primarily by her unfulfilled desires and moods, but where she had the most to learn was in understanding the new expressions his of love and how it should be accepted. He had so much to give and not allowing him would have been the kind of torture that had driven him crazy. At first she remained more comfortable with their old dynamic because she still held fast to her last shred human modesty and he had understood this. As she had taken over at the beginning of their relationship and had guided him, he now gently showed her what he needed to give to her as the feelings arose in him. Using her framework as a guide, he had used the variety of their love making to show her all of facets of his love because her sexuality allowed her to accept things in that environment that she would have shied away from any other way. When he felt the need, each different act of love, whether soft and gentle or playful or downright masocistic, brought different expressions from him that showed his love to her in glimpses that she could understand. What made his love so complex was that, because of it he would do anything for her, an angel of God's kind of anything, and what he showed to her was the kind of love it took to be able to offer this kind of devotion without limit, without judgment, without fear, and without pride. And sometimes, for a few precious moments, he would transcend the human form and his broken existence and everything would come out of him all at once in a glorious flood of emotion. He supposed that it was because once in a while he found the divine in her that is said to exist in all of these humans and when he did he responded as if truly in the divine presence. He became joyfully and helplessly in awe of her as he displayed the full depth of his love, showed his willingness to obey, and offered of all of his power at her feet. It would always fade but the fact that she was human required that he exist differently most of the time, so he accepted this.

It saddened him a little that she could not feel what he felt in those moments when his love for her burned so brightly and when her lightest touch would have commanded him, but she could only feel so much and the rest was really for his own benefit. She was clever enough to acknowledge these occurrences as if she had felt everything and maybe she was aware of more than he gave her credit for, he couldn't really know.

_Lucifer moved closer to Elizabeth now and leaned over to rest his hands on the back of her chair and catch an exposed earlobe in his mouth. Elizabeth inhaled sharply and her hands collapsed in her lap. He relieved her of her paintbrush and she turned to gave him that smile he'd been thinking about. Lucifer grinned back, giving an appreciative glance at the painting, and Elizabeth laughed shyly._

* * *

_Elizabeth woke on a cold morning much warmer than she should have been. She opened her eyes and found herself surro__unded by white. She reached out a hand and poked at her soft, feathery prison. It twitched but did not move. She smiled to herself because Cassie had recently admitted, quite guiltily, that she frequently asked Azazeal to show her his wings and that it was a relatively easy illusion compared to their full glory as angels. Elizabeth had been meaning to ask Lucifer to show her again but had not been able to bring herself to do it, though she had recently finished her painting of them._

_She ran her hand along the wing gently, feeling the amazing softness of the feathers, and this elicited a pleasant sigh from Lucifer. Apparently, it was a shared illusion, which explained why Azazeal was so willing to indulge Cassie in her fascination with his wings. He was not above anything that brought pleasure._

"_Stay a little longer, my love," he whispered. He uncurled his arm from around her waist and slid his large hand to her belly. She smiled to herself and nestled closer to him. He was nesting, she knew, because she was pregnant again. She'd been thinking about it for a while but had sprung it on him about a week ago and, of course, he had been delighted and very eager to give her another child. Once she had calmed him from the incoherent praise that apparently naturally followed the release of his essence to her, she had marveled at the feeling that she'd just touched his soul and had wiped the joyful tears from his eyes._

_This morning he was unhappy that they still had a few more days of work with Azazeal and Cassie that Elizabeth had insisted that they finish. He would have plenty of time to fuss over her in the weeks that followed, so Elizabeth would eventually coax him out of his displeasure and get their day started._

Elizabeth would eventually have another baby boy, Bryan, who Lucifer would take on his own set of adventures with Luke often in tow. Lucifer had taken it upon himself to speak to Ardousius and had watched over Elizabeth's every move for the few months of her pregnancy. In her mind, he was imitating what he though a human man should do when his woman was in this condition and the last time, he hadn't really had a chance to enjoy this part of the experience, so she let him be as protective as he liked. As cute as it was, though, it was a bit of a relief when it was over and he was happily occupied with their new son. Elizabeth had been inspired to want another little living piece of him partially because she had realized that she hadn't given Lucifer enough credit for producing their wonderful son, Luke. She should have known that his children wouldn't be evil, but she'd been distracted by his antics. 

Bryan eventually grew up to be more powerful than even Luke and they never bothered to make him attended school of any kind. While Luke had great creativity and passion, Bryan was all strength and purpose, but they both had the same sense of humor so get the two of them together and watch out. He fell in love with a female angel, an _Ophanim_ dancer, and committed himself to her with the same devotion that he shared with Luke and his father, even though they could never have children. The male angels could share enough of their essence to allow a human woman to form a child, but the bodies of the female angels could not perform the complex process that created life. Bryan would start a remarkably successful international super-company and use it to raise money for many altruistic endeavors. He would get Luke, Sara, Malachi, Ella and many other angels all involved in his company, you couldn't say no to him, and this company had the added benefit of helping them to interact with humans occasionally without letting them know that they didn't age.

Elizabeth found that Lucifer wasn't really as submissive as it had originally appeared that he was and this helped her to accept the love from him that he needed to express. It was just that in contrast to all of the unruly behavior and tantrums, his eventual surrender to her each time she had exerted control, which had often triggered a heightened desire in him to please her, had seemed extreme. Now that there was no contrast, she could see his true loving nature for what it was. Contained in his nature to love was a keen attentiveness and open devotion that were beyond the human level. His human form, however, and her human nature created some restrictions that forced him to symbolize some things physically. So if he would kneel, tremble, kiss her feet, gaze at her, or enjoy giving over his body to her, they were all merely representative of subtle feelings that these physical acts helped him express. She also found that when he wanted to please her it was out of happiness with not a hint of desperation and if he offered and gave her surrender it was a loving confirmation of his commitment to her with no fear it it at all. In their everyday life, when he wasn't expressing these things he became remarkably good at being…almost…normal.

Elizabeth learned how to receive the love that Lucifer had to express to her no matter how extreme it felt to her and was not corrupted. She wasn't exactly surprised but was thankful to whatever made her able to be what he needed. She eventually realized, though it struck as obvious when it occurred to her, why it was so difficult for Lucifer in our world and why he could never stop displaying his devotion. Lucifer had no specific gift or talent, as the other angels did, which gave them something to focus on. Lucifer was created only to love, adore, and obey…period. Also, Elizabeth had known that he was a being of extreme power with no conscience, but more and more she began to see the true difficulty of a state of free will for him. A key problem was that he knew the concepts of good and evil, but they didn't really concern him, so he had trouble applying them. He would be just as capable of happily destroying the entire universe as working to save the entire planet and human race, depending on Elizabeth's whim, and would think nothing of it either way. He was a tool, a powerful tool, and he naturally felt that his existence only had meaning in relation to the one he loved and who commanded him. It was a strange and foreign concept, but Elizabeth had become the focus of all of his love and attention, so she would just have to accept it. However, she also felt that it was her duty to help him maintain the personality that he had developed over the centuries. He before Elizabeth he hated it but, as a human, Elizabeth valued his individuality, even when he was contentious and wild, so he let her guide him to find a balance between his developing personality and his selfless nature.

As a result, as their lives drew on, Elizabeth was treated to a Lucifer who took an increased interest in acting like a human lover or at least he tried to. He brought gifts without her having to ask (even though he still found them irrelevant when they were not at her request and he often came up with gifts that were too extravagant to be from a man). He thought about the little things that he had previously ignored like that she needed eat or take care of her horse farm or pay the bills. He renewed his efforts to be a reliable force in her life as he had be so close to being around the time Luke was conceived, until that horrible dream had hurt him. He fiercely guarded his position as her personal angel as if it had never occurred to him to be really jealous until now. He was known to get a bit nasty if another angel would cross an invisible line of intimacy that only the angels were aware of. This wasn't an unusual situation in their little community, where some angels were still looking for something, and the angels understood this reaction because selfishness seemed to be a problem they all shared when it came to the human they saw as the focus for their love. She also suspected that she was unconsciously encouraging this behavior because it was just an exaggerated version of what she might expect from a human mate and she had to admit that after their difficult beginning it was comforting to have him behave in a why that at least made some sense to her. Nearly, everything he did, though, that was meant to be normal was always at least a tiny bit wrong, not bad, just somehow not right. Elizabeth loved that about him because he wouldn't be who he was if he were normal.

Elizabeth and Lucifer were deliriously happy for many years to come and both Luke and Bryan would often shake their heads at their continued playfulness as they amused themselves and anyone else who wanted to come along for the ride. She would eternally feel like a giggly schoolgirl around him because he was infinity capable of doing something exciting, romantic, or sexy at any time. They still loved to play the sexual dominance game, some habits are hard to break, but Lucifer didn't always start the game with the intention of letting her win as he had in the past, which made it more interesting. Elizabeth, however, could now always defeat him with an order if she wanted and relished his annoyance when she occasionally, and unintentionally, ruined a well-planned attempt at getting her wrapped around his little finger.

Elizabeth felt that her journey within this relationship had been easier than his, all she'd had to do was figure him out, and so was happier for Lucifer than herself when their love for each other became his anchor. She spent her life being more content than she could ever have imagined but she was even more delighted at the joy he found in being with her and their children. If you had told her all those years ago that she would find happiness with a fallen angel named Lucifer, she wouldn't have believed you, but it was clearly true.

_Elizabeth wiggled her toes against the feathers that covered her feet and stretched against Lucifer's naked body. He held her tighter but when she put her hand around his wrist and lifted his arm, he obligingly lifted his wing as well. She rose out of the bed and looked back at him as he lay on his stomach, his wings spilling over both sides of the bed, pretending to be asleep. She carefully sat next to him and ran her hands through this hair and he looked up at her. She gave him a "you've got to get up now" look and he made a face, but stood. _

_"Are you going to shower with those?" she asked as his wings were still trailing behind him._

_"Hmm, I think you're right. They might get in the way of what I have planned," he said with a smile and before she knew it, they were in the lovely warm shower, sans wings, kissing like young lovers._


	52. Chapter 52

_Azazeal couldn't sleep so he carefully crept out of bed and sat in the armchair next to the bed. He liked watching Cassie sleep. There was something exceedingly comforting in watching over her in this vulnerable and yet untroubled state. Sometimes he felt like he accomplished more in this act of loving watchfulness than in a weeks worth of other endeavors._

_An hour later Cassie woke and turned to him groggily, "How long have you been there?"_

"_Not long."_

"_Come back to bed."_

_Azazeal rose and she watched him as he slipped into bed next to her. She draped herself over him, worrying that he was cold and he smiled to himself at her sleepy concern. She snuggled close and was asleep again quickly. He was happily trapped, her limbs binding him to her, but he did not drift off to sleep again for while longer. Azazeal half closed his eyes and let the feeling that was an angel again, her angel, spread through him as he lay next to her. It was in a strange, unfamiliar way, but it was as true as the love between them was strong. _

_--_

He had been weak, so weak, when they had first met but he had noticed her feisty nature and it had intrigued him. But he had seen similar before so it wasn't until she had the nerve to get attracted to that boy, Troy, while he was working his charm on her that he realized what a challenge she was going to be. No one ignores Azazeal, that's why he was chosen for this mission. There were angels who were more handsome, more caring, more horny, and even more lovable, but none of the fallen angels were as magnetic or had the understanding of human nature that Azazeal did. Who better to fulfill the prophecy and free them all?

It did bring a sly smile to his face when he thought about the fact that all of those stories and movies about the devil having a child were about him and the legend that he'd left behind. He wondered what these humans would have thought if they knew that Lucifer was just a bully, who had fucked women like a manic, but was not capable of the skillful planning and execution that it really took to produce a half-angel, half-human capable of bring about the End of Days. He had carried the hopes of all of the fallen on his shoulders, which is why he didn't take any crap from anyone.

His followers were fiercely loyal to him, even when he got a bit nasty, and they were not just a rag-tag group of angels with no one to look up to but him. They loved him and had even managed to believe in him for hundreds of years as he fumbled about while they were miserably occupied with feeling sorry for themselves and trying not to be noticed by Lucifer. But none of them had truly understood the challenges that he had faced and how this experience had damaged him more and more with each botched attempt.

It had hurt him a little each time he had lost a woman to death or madness and not just because it was yet another failure to add to his resume. He had loved them all, in a way, if only for a few minutes. He knew the difference between violence for the sake of their war and the death of an innocent woman, though the same could not be said for many of the others. He had learned to push these feelings down and focus on the task at hand, he could be as vicious and cruel the situation warranted, but he was not made for the same blind service as some of the others had been. He had been intended to guide and protect humans and had ultimately been thrown out of heaven for getting too attached to these beautiful women, so to say that this mission had been hard on him was an understatement.

None of the fallen had understood what it felt like to give a little piece of yourself in order to create another living being and he had done it over and over again. Of course, after the first time, he'd taught himself to only release as much as was needed and no more, in order to spare himself from the overwhelmingly exposed feeling that occurred if he didn't control it. It hadn't caused him to spout angelic or anything but it was definitely a more intense feeling than resulted from yer regular ol' orgasm. Cassie, however, she had been different. The possession had given her a daring confidence and fearlessness that…had taken him by surprise. It had felt as if she had grabbed hold of him and pulled him out into the open where he could not hide himself. She'd surprised herself too but in that moment, he had seen it in her eyes and he looked down at her in shock, her head had been clear enough for her to understand, at least in part, that he was not a beast. He was not exactly what he appeared to be, this carefully cultivated image of masculine sexuality and ruthlessness. He was powerful, yes, but he was not evil and not without feeling. She had softened to him then and it had been a long time since anyone had known him and accepted him.

Her seeing him like that and taking more from him than he had intended to give was enough to explain why he had stayed with her that night, holding her against his naked body until morning and why he'd returned a few days later with hopes of rekindling their passion, but what he hadn't expected was that he would hold on so tightly to the experience even after she so heartlessly rejected him. But she hadn't known that when she had rejected him, she had rejected more than just his devious plan…how could she have?

He should have known better. He knew how strong women could be, he had seen them give up something they wanted when they thought it was for the best or the greater good. And he'd seen men confused by this before and had even laughed at them. Humans were all so adorably predictable with their little patterns and precious games, but it was all very different when he was the one in the middle of it and it was his heart that was trying to understand. So he had tried to let it go, he didn't need her to love him to have his child, but he had found himself in her room making tea, scheming to make her jealous by sleeping with her teacher while telling himself that it was a strategic move, and bringing her flowers in the hospital. His mission was too engrained in him for these visits to not include aspects aimed at securing the birth of the child, but behind each was a reserved hopefulness that maybe she would soften again…but she hadn't.

And then after he had secured the child's safety, she'd come to him, to him and their son and he'd fallen easily for her ruse because he had missed her. She had taken Malachi and he had been angry, very angry, but he knew Ella was behind it all so he had not allowed himself consider that Cassie would let their son be killed. When Cassie had saved Malachi, just barely, he knew that there was only an inkling of feeling for him in it, but he was still thankful. Thankful, enough that when she had stayed with them, he could not bring himself to do anything but protect her and Malachi because that was where his worth in her eyes could be found.

When the decision to fight the End of Days had been made, he had though his life with them would be over. He might be able to hold Lucifer off for quite a while but Lucifer eventually would win, like he always did, but at least Cassie and Malachi could be safe and he would have done something worthwhile. Ella would protect them, well Cassie at least, and he had left some of his fiercest angels behind as well.

And it had been torture and it would have lasted forever, but Malachi…tempestuous Malachi, had saved not only him, but all of his kind in one fell swoop.

And thus began his own path to happiness that he had quietly walked down hoping not to be forced to turn around. It had been a trial for him, and while many of the lower angels, when they had found their mate or some occupation that fulfilled them, had just accepted it and gratefully abandoned themselves to the feeling of contentment, Azazeal had not trusted that he would remain worthy of it, and so would not allow himself to believe that she would ever really need him. Even though he had known more clearly than all of the angels that humans think of failure differently, as they are flawed themselves, until more recently, it sadly would have destroyed him but not surprised him if she had judged him as of no use to her and thrown him away. He thought now that it had always only been a matter of time before she would understand him and coax from him the trust that it took to overcome his fear being branded as corrupted again and not being given a chance to make amends.

It had been hard for him because he had long ago convinced himself that he would never feel this way again. He would never find real love not to mention love that felt so close to…the divine. Of course, he now knew that this self-deception in order to protect himself was what had kept him from finding this much earlier. He had so hoped, in his fear of wanting what he thought he could not have, that Cassie's love for him and his love for her would be enough, but it wasn't. All of his arrogance and stubbornness was just a shield to help him believe that he didn't want to be needed by Cassie in a way that might…just might…but that would be a dream…make him feel like an angel again. Thank goodness he was wrong!

He couldn't exactly put his finger on what it was about Cassie that effected him so deeply, but not knowing gave it an exquisitely profound quality that he had no interest in damaging and reason had never had anything to do with loving as strong as he did. Cassie had bewitched him completely and he loved her as he'd loved no other woman. There had been Herath, but he'd been so eager to fulfill his mission then, and like all legendary first loves that end dramatically and reach mythological status, their true merits can no longer be accurately measured.

Cassie was everything now. She understood and he trusted and, as was becoming common in the stories of many of the angels, he found with her the kind of love that felt like home.

--

_Cassie woke in the early morning and turned over to see Azazeal, sound asleep, barely covered with a sheet that fell just below his hips and left his entire back exposed. _

_"Isn't he cold?" She thought to herself and then remembered last night and the smile she'd caught on his lips at her concern. She just couldn't help looking after him now because his need for approval brought out a nurturing side and seemed to include a wifely fussiness as well._

_She wanted to softly run the back of her hand along his back, but she did not. Instead, she marveled at his perfectly unscarred skin and recalled how painfully marked it had been when he had let Lucifer torture him instead of giving up Malachi. That had been her first hint at his true nature, but it had taken her a while to figure everything out. But she had been young, she still was, but so much had happened since then, that now she felt like a wise old woman…and maybe she was inside._

_--_

Each angel was different and had their own unique set of problems. Some had been made primarily to respond, to give, to express themselves, while others were meant to do, to act, to understand. Azazeal was one of the later. His flaw lay in the fact that he understood human nature and had been given empathy to aid in this understanding, however he was woefully lacking in the ability to express himself emotionally on our level. Cassie thought of him as somehow being eternally trapped as an adolescent boy who is full of newfound feeling and passion but has no idea how to express it yet, how to translate it and share it with others. Hence, the translation of his feelings mainly into productive actions rather than flattery, adoring looks, meaningful speeches, or extravagant gifts. He had never given her a living horse statue or shamelessly worshiped her in front of everyone, but time after time he had put her and their children in front of himself in subtle ways that she was discovering daily. He had, of course, defied Lucifer, fiercely protected their family, and had been willing to give her up rather than damn her eternally by making her immortal, but there were many other smaller ways that she noticed now in which he acted for their benefit.

But he was not incapable of communicating his love to her on a more elegant level, it was just that she had to learn how to feel it and recognize it for what it was. He had always been caring, affectionate, and protective to a fault, but when it came to deep emotion the only thing he knew was angelic adoration. Cassie had, for a time, not understood its full function in their relationship, waiting for more outward expressions because she could always see his feelings for her just under the surface, as if about to leap out at any time, but they never really did. She had, however, learned to appreciate, and even value, the exquisite contrast between the confident and controlled Azazeal of everyday life and the passionately expressive and enthusiastically grateful angel who basked in her acceptance. If she had realized this earlier it might not have taken her so long to understand his need to be useful and have purpose, but what's done is done and she had a handle on it now.

It was strange for Cassie to think back to those early days when Azazeal was merely an annoying supernatural distraction that she had tried to ignore and then to defeat. He was so different from that person and yet it was definitely the same being. She felt sorry for him that he had had to live in such anger for so long, because he was so happy and loving now. The difference was striking but it made her feel proud that she had been part of this transformation and that all of the fallen angels had been able to find similar peace. 

Cassie would eventually become a part-time art teacher at Mendham for a number of years before moving on to other pursuits. Azazeal would drop her off and pick her up each day, even though she could travel herself, and would sometimes make a clandestine return to watch her teach her classes. They still carried on their work to improve the world and the human condition, but with Azazeal's trust in her had come the realization that he didn't need to be constantly occupied as his purpose was simply being with her. They did not have any more children but Malachi and Sara were enough for any parents to handle and they might not have any more pride to spread around given how pleased they were with both of them (most of the time).

Cassie and Azazeal remained as hopelessly in love as they had always wanted to be and were a shining example for those angels who took even longer to find their peace. Their love was an endearing one and, while everyone could see how they adored one another, the pyrotechnics (and there were some astounding displays) were reserved for their private time together.

--

_Cassie finally gave in to her urge to touch him and traced a finger along the crease in his back. He stirred and turned to her with a sexy smile as if he'd been waiting for her to stop starring at him and touch him. He skillfully rolled her on her back, rising up over her, and initiated a steamy kiss that left her breathless._

_She playfully pushed him off, the covers falling off of them both, but instead of reversing their position, she remained next to him and guided his own hand to the part of himself that had so recently been brushing against her inner thighs. He gave her a slight wicked grin and did what she so clearly intended him to do with this hand, not really being prepared for how exciting this would be since he rarely had occasion to touch himself this way. His lids dropped closed and he was not timid about taking her suggestion, but she eventually stopped him dragging him back from the edge. She leaned on her elbow, considering him, then finally pulling his hand completely away and replacing it with her own, she kissed him and in his abandon he tried to keep her mouth on his, but she teased him. _

"_Is there to be no mercy for me?" he breathed._

"_I want you to show me," she said._

_That was all that she said, but he knew what she wanted. In the blink of an eye, his wings were spread out underneath him and she did not hesitate to run her fingers across them, though it immediately sent shivers through his frame. Reflexively he wrapped them around her, pulling her on top of him, and it was deliciously decadent to feel them against the full length of her body, but he was already done for. He whispered, "I love you" and the rest was a stream of angelic, his whole being adoring her, and their bodies entangled in the act of love until they rested satisfied in each others arms again._

_Azazeal's love was comforting to Cassie because it was so strong and reassuring, not just admiring, and once she had discovered where he had been keeping his deepest feelings for her, she liked to roll around in them as much as possible. He sometimes had this way, Cassie adored, of slipping into "that place" and just sort of hovering there as they made love, rather than fighting it off until his release swept him there anyway. When he did this it felt like he was everywhere, all around her, and there were swells of love and devotion and delight and passion that crashed against her senses and intensified the physical sensations. They were both overtaken with these emotions and sensations filling and emptying and filling them again, but she knew, she could tell when she looked in his eyes afterwards, that there was still more, much more, when she was ready._


	53. The End

And so Cassie and Azazeal found their way to happiness with relatively little drama. Oh, yes, there had been the fights about immortally from both sides ("How dare you make me immortal!" and "How dare you not make me immortal!") and there had been some tension when Azazeal realized how much it hurt not to feel needed, but there had been no time apart, no destructive behavior. The same could not be said for Ella and Malachi.

They weren't actually the most difficult of couples but Ella was an odd combination of fiery playfulness and icy emotions. The initial heat of their relationship and had lent itself to many wild and dangerous, though not really dangerous for them, escapades, some not so gentle fights, and a few periods of separation. One might think that it was Malachi driving all of this fun and conflict, but it was Ella that had some trouble adjusting to a more normal and reasonable lifestyle. Of course, Malachi's nature, inquisitive and daring to a fault, meant that he was not going to be the voice of reason most of the time, but as they spent more time together, they settled down.

Malachi was a very caring friend and lover to Ella throughout everything and probably didn't realize that his attachment to her was based partly on his need to fix her…in a way. She had come into his life, whether she knew it or not, as someone needing help and he had risen to the occasion. They were never really your typical couple but when they were on their own they could be as loving as Cassie and Azazeal.

Azazeal and Cassie were very proud of Malachi because of how much good he did with Ella (this did not escape their notice) and because he continued to be a huge help with the other fallen angels. Malachi and Ella never had children, Ella not being the motherly type, much to Malachi's disappointment. The truth was that Ella didn't want to have "special" children and she felt that she was too damaged to raise a child properly. Malachi tried to convince her otherwise but she wouldn't hear it. At Malachi's urging Azazeal had even spoken with Ella once about their former war with each other, and she appreciated it, but she could never let those experiences go. She didn't blame Azazeal entirely, but she was never easy with him and actually liked Lucifer better. Malachi made her happy, though, and she felt that she didn't need anything more.

Both Ella and Malachi worked for Bryan's company from time to time, with Malachi showing an aptitude for negotiations and Ella being, obviously, a great security consultant. Malachi was happy despite the lack of children and it could never be said that they didn't bring back the best stories from their exploration of this world.

* * *

Thelma had, not long after Sara's birth, disappeared from Cassie's life and it wasn't until years later that she found out why. She had been very distressed by it and didn't like to talk about much, but she had eventually been distracted by her life and felt that Thelma deserved to rest and be happy.

However, when Cassie found out that Lucifer had taken upon himself to "assist" Thelma in crossing over, she was livid. He, of course, didn't really see the problem but told her, with a wink, that Elizabeth would make him pay if she wanted…and Cassie could even watch.

"I could skin you alive," she said infuriated further by his amusement with this situation.

"Well, that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" he said in exasperation, as if this whole conversation were about his naughty nature and not about Thelma's...well, DEATH, and Cassie was spoiling a perfectly good opporunity to combine a little masochism with a little exhibitionism by being too serious about this.

"You really are that selfish, aren't you?" she spat.

Lucifer paused at this. "I don't know," he said realizing just how serious she was and actually looking slightly sorry for what he'd done, but Cassie stormed off.

Afterwards, Cassie had found out that he had went straight to Elizabeth to ask her about it, saying that he could not fix it, so he did not know what he should do. No matter how hard Cassie tried, she couldn't help but forgive him based on this effort to figure out a solution, which was huge progress for him as far as Cassie was concerned. He hadn't really been in control of himself when he'd "helped" Thelma and besides, he hadn't been the one who had killed Thelma in the first place.

* * *

After the wedding, Luke played professional soccer for a while in England but then mysteriously disappeared from public life (people would soon have begun to notice his un-ageing body) to join his brother's company. Luke was the creative force and idea generator behind their endeavors, many of them altruistic, and Bryan was the big picture guy, always driving the overall purpose and direction of the business. The brothers were inseparable, even though Bryan was more serious than his imaginative older brother. When it came to their ladies, however, they were quite easily drawn away to more tender pursuits. Sara also worked at the company managed the details, the angels, and the people, when she had the time.

Sara and Luke eventually had two children, Michael and Angela. Sara had wanted one of each and Luke was incapable of denying her what she wanted. They were both wonderfully talented and had some power of their own, but were not inherently immortal. Once they had reached their parent's "age", they both started to age very slowly and lived remarkably long lives, but to their mother's dismay, neither of them took their grandfathers up on the standing offer of immortally. Both of them started families of their own with human mates and were able to see several generations of their progeny lead happy, successful lives, however Michael and Angela both chose to leave this world in the normal way to be with their beloved spouses who had already passed a long time ago. Sara was, naturally, distraught, as was the whole family, but she allowed her father to comfort her with the knowledge that they would all see each other again…eventually.

* * *

Bryan and his angelic mate were a match that seemed strange to almost everyone but Lucifer and Luke. They just couldn't understand why he would choose such a low level angel...and a ballet dancer no less, to fall in love with. But Bryan, being so serious and powerful most of the time had the need for simplicity and beauty in his life and she provided that. While Luke and Sara had always wanted children, Bryan and his angel were more focused on each other and were not concerned that they could not have any. Luke understood because he understood this part of his father, who adored children but who had not really had an opinion about having any himself until Elizabeth had wanted them. Bryan had that strange combination of extreme power tempered with devotion that made him surprisingly easy going though fiercely loyal and focused. Luke had, in contrast, inherited the more creative side to his father's power along with his mother's tendency to skip from project to project. Bryan tended to unintentionally rival Azazeal for the position of leader in minds of the other angels because he was so forceful and purposeful, but he had never had any desire to take control and often deferred to Azazeal to make that very point.

* * *

The core family ended up being comprised of many generations of increasingly normal "children" springing from Sara and Luke's children, although there were always a few that seemed to naturally find a mate among the remaining unattached fallen angels. Azazeal and Lucifer liked to think of themselves as the primary guardians over the family and were responsible for introducing new members to the full wonders and advantages of the family, so in a way, they were grandfathers many, many times over and the enjoyment they found in this was not lost on Cassie and Elizabeth. Some "children" eventually chose to become immortal but many of those without angelic mates did not. Some parents even preferred that their children not know the full truth behind the family, but of course many of these children ended up finding out anyway. There were of course many other children from the other unions between angels and humans who were also part of the larger family unit and who had their own roles to play and talents to share.

* * *

So other than the typical sorrows and tragedies of everyday life, everything would go on generally perfectly ….too perfectly, Azazeal, already had thought several months after the wedding, but that didn't mean he was complaining or that he would let anyone or anything pry this from his fingers.

However, being who he was, he could not help but wonder why this had all worked out so perfectly. Had this always been possible and he and Lucifer, the only ones who had spent much time physically on earth, had just missed it? Had Malachi always been destined to be able to bring this peace as well as the war they had originally wanted? Or had God put all of this together just to stop them from starting their war?

He had many discussions with various angels to get their thoughts on the matter, but it wasn't until Lucifer mentioned to him several years later, dropped casually into a conversation as if it was barely relevant, that he had…felt IT…he had actually felt the divine presence again and it had been inside Elizabeth.

Lucifer wouldn't be specific on how long ago he'd first felt it but Azazeal had a vague idea because he had once noticed Lucifer beaming at Elizabeth like an absolute idiot (who could blame him) not too long ago. Lucifer still had his days were he was too involved in his love for Elizabeth to be of much use on his own, but the look he'd given Elizabeth on that occasion…Azazeal should have known.

"And when exactly were you going to tell me about this?" Azazeal had asked.

"I don't know, old friend. It's…"

But he didn't have to finish his sentence. It was personal, Azazeal knew, each of them would feel it differently, and there was no way for Lucifer to know if any of them would ever find it, but Lucifer was completely convinced that what he had felt had been and was real.

After some thought and two or three tentative attempts and finding it himself, Azazeal actually convened a group of diverse angels to discuss the matter. As this discussion turned to the reason for their fall, it was eventually admitted that each of them had made a choice, even if it was an infinitesimal one, to not do what they had been told to do. Some of them had done more than was asked of them and some had done less, but undeniably they had all made some kind of choice. This realization, however, did not help them in determining why this was reason enough to be thrown out of heaven and what exactly they were supposed to have done then. Obviously, God had not liked their turn to evil, but what had he expected?

When Azazeal talked to Cassie about the strangeness of not really knowing what was going on, she laughed a little and told him that this was how humans lived their whole lives. He had smiled at this and let it run through his thoughts for some time.

* * *

Eventually, one afternoon when Azazeal had expertly drawn Cassie away from her work and they moved together sensuously and with the comfortable elegance of familiar lovers…the feeling of the divine suddenly unleashed itself upon him without warning.

His eyes flashed open, as if to get his bearings, and though he saw Cassie, he felt…

Perhaps it was this way because he had been seeking it with much more determination recently but deep down he was scared of finding it. This time he had only been concerned with Cassie and there was no fear.

Cassie, having felt him tense, opened her eyes and looked up at him. Azazeal was doing everything he could to hold himself back, automatic response, probably, to the intensity of what was pulling at him, calling to him. He was not the kind to give up control easily and was always on guard against the unexpected.

Azazeal had casually mentioned Lucifer's experience to Cassie in passing as if she should be informed but to talk about it in great detail would jinx it. So it was not hard for her to recognize the possibility that something similar was happening to him now.

Cassie put her hands to his face, and with a warm smile, told him to ease his alarm, "It's okay. You can't hurt me."

This seemed to be what he needed to hear and with a long, slow moan he let it take him trembling to a place where only awe was possible. And then there he was in an ecstasy of proud and strong love, full of potential, waiting with jubilant anticipation for the knowledge of what might be expected of him, but happy, none the less, just to be with her.

It was amazing and almost, but not quite, embarrassing to feel such intense emotions and angelic ecstasy with Cassie. Azazeal had not really been prepared, despite wanting it, for what it would feel like with a human woman and what it would mean to him. Even with all of the barriers that he'd broken down already, this one had surprised him, but when he had looked at her afterwards, the thought that she had brought it out of him made him smile. There as still a little part of him, however, that did not trust that this would remain a part of his existance.

Later, Azazeal would wonder, as Lucifer had, how much of it Cassie was be able to feel but she was enigmatic in her answers when he asked her about it. She seemed to have felt more that she could express because there was a little twinkle in her eyes when she talked about it, but she just did not have the words to describe it. He was pleased with himself that his love had this effect on her and eventually relaxed in the knowledge that he may feel the divine in her at any time without seeking it.

Many others ended up finding this little piece of heaven as well, and the theory eventually developed that perhaps they had always been intended to find their way back home through these humans.

And in the end they were more right then they knew…

The End

* * *

_Please leave feedback...I love reviews!!_


	54. Epilogue

As the end of time on Earth drew near, the fallen angels could sense it. It made them happy rather than filling them with dread but they did their best to keep this knowledge from their human companions for whom this information may have been disconcerting.

Despite their efforts, there were some signs that they exhibited that might lead a sharp human to pick up on the possibility. They became more tactile and loving in order to enjoy the last pleasures of this world before it was over. Angels, more than humans, would miss the physical nature of this existence for they had only spent a short period of their lifespan this way. They knew that it would be different soon and that sensations would not feel as they do in this plane of existence.

Their angelic spirits became even more deeply effected by any piece of the divine that they might find in their mate and their human forms, which had never really known what to do with the angelic experience, could no longer contain it. The divine inside the humans was amplified by the nearness of end of day and the angels would often give up their physical form entirely to fully experience the bliss that it created before reentering a corporeal state again for the benefit of their lover. Most of the human lovers thought that this was merely a progression of the experience, but it was partially in expectation of the time when the angels and humans would both be spirit.

The biggest clue was that, if you were listening, you could almost hear...not really hear, but feel your angelic lover signing to you. There was a part of them that had become increasingly attached and aware of the part of Him that was in their human companion and they sang unconsciously and without words to that part of their lover in anticipation of being reunited with the Creator.

* * *

"Lucifer," Azazeal said raising his voice to get his attention off of Elizabeth who was sitting across the church with Cassie. Lucifer turned to him only half paying attention. "What's wrong with you?" Azazeal continued.

"Mmm, I need to be reminded of my duty to my lover," he responded lazily, almost to himself.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you feel it? It's so hard sometimes not to lose myself in contemplation of that part of her, you know, the part of her that, once all this earthly matter is stripped away, will be beautiful and truly the divine and will know me and will forgive all of my sins and I will bow down in reverent worship…" Lucifer trailed off and noticing Azazeal again added, "No matter, a good whipping will remind me of my physical body."

"Lucifer!!" Azazeal exclaimed, shocked to hear him give any kind of real credence to the nebulous rumors of his sexual tendencies.

"You're too easily shocked for one so well versed in the pleasures of the bed room," Lucifer admonished him with a sly smile, "Besides, to keep myself anchored, I tell myself that I must serve her here to be able to remain in her presence in heaven. Thus, the need to remember the physical form that she requires of me."

"But really, Lucifer…"

"Azazeal, it's really all in good fun, you know, just enough to get my...attention," he bit his lip seductively, "and afterwards my passion is volitile. You really need to broaden your horizons."

Azazeal scowled at him and Lucifer saw that Azazeal also struggled to resist the urge to unleash his spirit and dance around Cassie unfettered by the limitations of the body, but he did not share Lucifer's desire for a forceful solution.

"Well, my friend, you and I have never been the same, so I respect your taste for the mundane, but I believe I have a lover to infuriate...or maybe I'll just implore her to do it for no reason at all...decisions, decisions," he mused playfully, "There is a subtle difference, you know."

Azazeal smirked, "My dear Lucifer, didn't you ever stop to wonder how I managed to get so many women into my bed, hmm? I have created the majority of the intricate fantasies and fetishes that you and the humans love so dearly and I let them loose upon the world. You are merely my student."

"Well, then, teacher, I thank you for your lessons. I always thought there was part of you that understood, though I suspect that you're on the wrong side. It's the release of control that is the best part," Lucifer replied with a mischievous grin and he rose and sauntered off towards Elizabeth.

* * *

When Azazeal was alone with Cassie later that night, he felt stronger than ever the desire to rush his essence, his spirit form, along her body and sink inside her to brush against her soul. But he would not let himself go that far because he did not have Lucifer's confidence that he could bring himself back. They would be together in that way soon enough.

* * *

In the end, it was Azazeal's and Lucifer's turn to help Cassie and Elizabeth into a new state of existence. When the time came and they held their hands, it was Azazeal and Lucifer spirits that encouraged Cassie and Elizabeth's human souls to release from their bodies and follow them home.

When Cassie became aware of the brilliant white light around her, she could no longer see Azazeal but she could still feel him near to her. Soon her eyes adjusted and she could see him still in front of her with the brightest smile she had ever seen, his glory as an angel restored. She looked at him with impossible happiness, that was not impossible anymore, and they contemplated each other in silence for some time.

"You're beautiful," Cassie said.

Azazeal only smiled and she could feel his pride that she thought so.

"Now there is nothing to hide, no barrier between us," he said.

And Cassie realized she knew everything about his existance, from his creation until now, and she knew how much he had loved her all along. But what made her most happy was that there was no more fear in him, which she knew had plagued him up until this moment...only joy and love remained.

He moved closer to her, pressing himself against her, and Cassie's consciousness shifted. When she pulled away, she saw for the first time the way heaven looked like beyond the expectations that she had placed upon it. Azazeal was himself but was not the classic angelic figure that he had just been. He was color and light and love and warmth and joy. Cassie reached out a hand, a wispy tendril of her soul, to touch him and found herself enveloped by him so that there were truly no more barriers between them.

They did not separate and seek their friends for some time but no one questioned their absence because similar experiences were happening all over heaven.

* * *

Elizabeth's eyes cleared to find what she had always feared. Lucifer's hand was in hers but he was staring rapt into the white. She saw the figure of a man slowly develop out of the brilliance and stand before them looking directly at Lucifer. Lucifer took a step forward but paused and still holding her hand. Elizabeth watched him completely absorbed it this figure and even she felt a pull towards the man that validated her suspicions of who this was.

Well, at least she was prepared for this, she thought to herself as she began to release his hand and let the tears come because this time it was for real. Before she had slipped the last of her fingers out of his hand, she looked at the man before them and he was smiling at her in a friendly but slightly amused way. In an instant, Lucifer hand was gone, but when she looked down, there he was kneeling before her: his right knee down, his palms on the ground, and his head bowed. This had become a regular occurance in their lives together but here it had a significance that struck her.

"Forgive me," he said, "He told me…I did not mean to make you think…Forgive me."

"Get up silly, there's nothing to forgive," was her immediate reply, filled with such joy that she had been wrong. He rose with a smile that clearly said that this was why he loved her, that she had never found any reason not to forgive him.

Remembering whose presence they were in and slight embarrassed despite herself by Lucifer's display, Elizabeth looked up at Him and said, "He didn't understand, you know, about us humans and why he was thrown out of heaven."

"He does now," was the pleasant response that came from the man and he have her a wink and a conspiratorial smile, as if this had been his and Elizabeth's plan for Lucifer all along.

The man left them then and Lucifer, who had not taken his eyes from her, was ablaze with such love for her that made her sorry that she had ever doubted him…but only for a second before she realized how unnecessary that feeling was and filled herself only with love. In response, the fire of Lucifer's love swelled and his brightness increased. He rose upwards, his wings extended and he let loose a burst of song that was a clear and beautiful rendition of what Elizabeth had already heard from him in very indistinct tones while they had still been on earth. He floated back down and looked at her happily for a moment before saying,

"Please be gentle with me, my dear, here the ecstasy of your love is...I had tried to prepare myself for it, but it has been so long. You're liable to send me soaring around heaven singing your praises to anyone who will listen."

Elizabeth smiled at him and put her hand on his chest, "I'll try," she said with a smile that said that this idea amused her but that she had no intention of letting him leave her. As she touched him, she felt from him a constant stream of love and adoration and understood that here this would be un-ending, only varing in response to her love and happiness, and it would not exhaust him as it had on earth.

Then suddenly, Elizabeth's brow furrowed and she looked sad. Touching him had also somehow unlocked the intelligence of her new existence and she was flooded with the knowledge of all of the things Lucifer had done since his fall from grace.

Elizabeth looked up into he eyes and he knew...he knew the time of his judgment had come. He'd been so sure she would forgive him but now seeing the sorrow in her eyes and knowing that she now knew everything, every painful detail of his trangressions, not just the things he had done while he was with her, she could just as easily send him out of her presence forever so soon after he had felt the full pleasure of it. She had technically already forgiven him by choosing to love him but he couldn't help himself, he sank to his knees again, this time pressing his forehead to the ground in front of her feet.

Elizabeth reached down and pulled his torso up, but he stayed on his knees and kept his head bowed.

"This is not right," she said and a shot of panic went through Lucifer, "Why are you always so afraid? You should never bow to me in fear. I will always love you and I have already forgiven you. Now get up, silly! For the second time since we got here!"

Lucifer raised his head in wonder, recognizing the voice of the larger divine being speaking through her, his eyes blazing with fire again, and he launched himself in the sky to perform an aerial display suitable for the elation that he felt and Elizabeth watched him with pride in her heart.

* * *

Cassie and Azazeal and all of the others now liberated from the requirements of the flesh were eternally connected to each other in spirit though the bonds they had made while on earth. The piece of the divine in each human made them part of the whole divine being, while still manifesting their unique set characteristics. The two individual human and angelic spirits that fell in love would remain together but there was no longer a distinction between the human and the divine, they were the same. The angels had come to understand that this would happen before it had and had barely been able to contain their excitement, but now they no longer needed to. There was no difference between the soul they loved and the divine that they adored and the human soul, freed of mortal contraints, was able to bath them in love that made them sing in response.

* * *

_**Thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wanted to note that this story developed as I wrote it and I haven't done a major rewrite to ensure consistancy. I can see some things that I might change or expand on to make things more clear now that my vision is more complete, so please forgive any contraditions. If you have any questions or want to point out any problems with the story, please feel free to email me through the Fan Fiction website.**_

Since this is my primary work but actually the first of three works with these characters, I wanted to make sure my readers knew that all of my stories are interconnected. "Be Still My Heart" is a short prequel to "Someone turn me 'round" but it is written with a greater understanding of the character's motivations as a result of writing this story and "The Witching Hour." "The Witching Hour" is a cross over with the Black Jewels Trilogy books by Anne Bishop so it may be hard for Hex fans to get into, but if you have patience, I do continue to explore Azazeal, Cassie, Elizabeth and Lucifer's characters quite a bit. It was helpful to have new people to introduce them to that were so similar and yet so different. You can learn most of what you would need to know at Wikipedia under The Black Jewels.

Check out my profile for a suggested reading order and to vote in whatever poll I currently have up there!

Thanks for reading!

Sagarmatha


	55. Alt ending to Ch 23 Beth dies

_This is just a what if scenario that has been running through my brain on what if Elizabeth had died in…well, whatever chapter I have her not die in. It was in my head so I wrote it and I am sharing it here. There may be a tiny bit more that I will add to this Chapter later. Translations of angelic are at the end of the chapter._

_Let me know what you think!_

**_Updates marked below..._**

* * *

Azazeal watched Lucifer walk slowly back into the room in their church that he had been inhabiting for weeks now. He'd only recently begun to leave the room at all and initially Azazeal and Cassie thought it was a good thing but by the look of him, Azazeal now believed that he wouldn't like what Lucifer was doing. They had hoped that eventually he would take interest in his son but Cassie still thought that was too much to ask just yet.

Cassie came up behind him and watched Lucifer's retreat back to his self-imposed exile and said. "You should follow him next time."

* * *

_Flashback..._

The group of angels surrounding Azazeal looked grim when he said that they would have to try again. They had thrown themselves against Lucifer's wrath three times now and none of them were eager to do it again. He ripped them all to angelic shreds with such fury and ease that the fact that he could not really kill them was beginning to be of little consolation. But Azazeal had picked his crew with great care and all of them knew that they could not let him keep Elizabeth's body in there forever. He had to move on.

As Azazeal watch the wild rage in Lucifer's eyes flicker and interchange itself for anguish for a moment, he knew that Lucifer was finally ready. Azazeal flew at him, pinning him against the far wall and though he struggled and growled like an in-human beast, Lucifer let his friend do it.

"Take the body," Azazeal ordered, his voice barely more than a growl itself and the remaining angels quickly did as he asked.

When Azazeal let him go, Lucifer glanced at the empty bed and his head jerked strangely as if he were shaking loose cobwebs. He refocused on Azazeal and with a wicked grin, flug him neatly through the door and the door slammed closed after him of its own accord.

Cassie had rushed up to help pick him up off of the floor but Azazeal had just stared at the closed door, wondering what Lucifer would be like when he came back out again.

* * *

Azazeal strode quietly after a seemingly oblivious Lucifer through the dark streets of this English town. He didn't like this one bit but Cassie had insisted that he find out what their heartbroken friend was getting up to on his little jaunts. Lucifer might know he was here but he might not be paying close enough attention to his surrounding to notice an invisible angel following him.

Azazeal followed him to an innocent looking house and slipped in behind him when he was let in by a middle aged woman. Despite the fact that it looked like a house on the outside, there was a waiting room in what would normally be the living room. Lucifer however purposefully walked down the long hall way without a word or a look at anyone and went into a room at the back. Azazeal looked around a bit at the couple of jittery people in the waiting room before following Lucifer into the far room.

When he entered he saw that Lucifer had taken off his shirt and thrown it on the floor. Then he just stood there for a moment staring at it oddly. From another door at the other end of the room a woman entered and Lucifer raised his head as if he was about to acknowledge her but just before their eyes would have met, he turned and walked toward the wall, placing his hands above his head, his palms flat, and then he waited.

Azazeal was too good at being what he was to not be able to see the undercurrents of this little scene as it played out before him.

This woman had done this to him before, Lucifer came specifically to see her, and she loathed him, although she was unfortunately unaware of the fact that her loathing was part of her appeal.

At first she'd like him, who wouldn't he's gorgeous and he overpaid, but he was also quiet and bizarrely courteous about the arraignment they had set up. He had politely detailed to her what he wanted and that he wanted to be able to come it at any time. They'd negotiated the specifics and then he'd quietly left.

It only confused her the first time but by the third time he'd come in, she was already bitter and ready to exact the price for her wounded pride and confusion, not that this phased poor Lucifer any.

She was brutal, Azazeal thought to himself, as she tore his back to shreds not bothering to worry about the errant strokes that hit the backs of his thighs and his bottocks or the cries of pain that issued from her victim. But she knew her cue to stop and she hadn't gotten it yet, though Azazeal thought that this pleased her far too much. He watched her at work, surprised by the depth of her hatred, and tried to think of what Lucifer could possible have done to…

"_Dluga-Tol_!" Lucifer shouted, and Azazeal whipped his head around to his friend. What was he doing?

As the next lash hit him, he called out, "_Tol De_," and then again, "_Dulga-Tol_," but she kept going more fiercely now.

Just as Azazeal was about to tackle her himself, Lucifer said an exhausted whisper, "_Noko Daraia_," with such earnestness that Azazeal looked back at the woman in his own state of confusion.

She mercifully stopped, apparently those words, strange though they were, were her cue. She watched Lucifer's breathing slow with great interest and Azazeal saw that softness had replaced the hatred. But then Lucifer slowly turned around and for a split second the look of eager love in his eyes was so beautiful...before he saw her and it was replaced by disappointment and then steely distance.

And Azazeal knew immediately. She was the vehicle, but it wasn't her that Lucifer cried out to and it was most definitely not her that he wanted to see when he turned around, and she despised him for that.

Lucifer ignored the woman's glare and he casually put on his discarded shirt and walked out. Azazeal didn't bother to follow him but was waiting for him when he staggered home.

_Dluga-Tol: Take everything_

_Tol De: Everything is yours_

_Noko Daraia: I am the servant of your Will_

* * *

"This has got to stop!" Azazeal announced without preamble as the blocked Lucifer's path back to the room that Elizabeth had died in.

Lucifer raised his eyes to Azazeal's and for a second Azazeal thought he might be in for a beating of his own, but his friend merely looked at him.

"I will not betray her," he said, his voice cracking not just from emotion but also from spending too much time screaming in pain.

"And so you think this is the way to accomplish that?" Azazeal said disdainfully.

Lucifer shook a bit and then grabbed his head, "It's starting," he said in anguish, "You have no idea the things I want to do, the pain I want to cause, the things I want to destroy, I…"

Azazeal just looked at his friend in dismay. He had hoped he could hold it together and not become what he was before. He felt sorry for him.

"I must not fail," he continued as Cassie, who had been watching from further away began to approach cautiously, "It's a test, I know, I failed in something and I must atone. I will not fail her again."

Azazeal looked at him in horror. Oh, he was going insane alright but the bastard just wouldn't let her go. More delusion, more crazy reasoning and he had convinced himself that she would come back to him if he didn't do anything evil, so he'd sequestered himself in her room and went to that woman when he needed an attitude adjustment. It was amazing that it actually worked because Elizabeth had done far more that just beat him into submission but Lucifer's ability to delude himself was legendary.

"Lucifer," Cassie said softly, breaking the silence, "Elizabeth would never do that to you. She didn't leave you to punish you. She does not want this."

Lucifer considered her carefully for several seconds before asking, "Then what does she want?"

Cassie looked to Azazeal for help, know that she'd chosen her words wrongly and sorry that she had spoken at all.

"She's gone," Azazeal said but Lucifer ignored this, walked unhurriedly to his room and shut the door.

* * *

**_Updated 09/02/2008_**

A few nights later, Azazeal awoke to the unmistakable "feel" of angelic being communicated rather loudly, however he could not hear the words. He reluctantly got up and walked out to the front room to find Lucifer sprawled on the floor naked with his rarely seen wings carelessly spread out on either side of him. Azazeal shook his head to himself, not really wanting to have to deal with this, and then he noticed the whip marks still healing on his friends back.

"Why didn't you heal yourself?" he demanded but there was no reply.

"What are you doing?" he tried again.

This time Lucifer slowly pulled himself up to his knees and sat back on his heels.

"She heard me," he said without looking up at Azazeal, "She came," he continued and then looking up at Azazeal miserably, his voice catching, "I tried."

Azazeal surprised himself by his immediate rage, especially since he didn't know if he as angry at God for doing all of this, at Elizabeth for leaving him or for making an ill-advised visit, or at the idiot in front of him. Sure, his friend was in pain but the dolt had actually offered himself to Elizabeth despite the obvious fact that she did not have the power to either take him with her or destroy him, which were really the only acceptable responses to what Lucifer had done.

Azazeal was about to grab him by the neck and pick him up and do the only rational thing he could think of which was the fallen angel equivalent of getting Lucifer laid….getting him involved in some thing wicked and corrupt. He would just have to trust that Lucifer would be loyal enough to him to leave his family alone as he went about merrily sowing evil in the world again.

But Lucifer straitened up a bit and said, "I am not to see that woman anymore…I am to be a good father."

Azazeal stared at his friend in amazement because it seemed from his friend's attitude that that was exactly what Lucifer intended to do.

* * *

"He's driving me up the wall!" Cassie complained, "And further more," she continued now smiling back at Azazeal's amusement, "if he'd only been this focused before, he wouldn't have been nearly the handful that he was. He was never this good and never this interested in doing what she asked."

Azazeal's smile turned into a more serious look.

"Our love is not like your love," he said simply.

"What's that got to do with it? If he loved her he would never have started that genocide."

"You don't understand," Azazeal said evenly, "He loved her more that you can imagine, but he has been broken since he was tossed out of heaven. She gave him part of what he needed but she gave him too much free rein."

Cassie snorted at this because it was impossible for her to imagine just yet what Lucifer would have done for Elizabeth and how much control he would have given her if she had been able to ask for it.

"She would have understood in time, I think, but everything has changed now. He was bound to go insane but he had one choice: return to evil or convince himself that he could still serve her in some way. He has made his choice and she has validated it. And with the knowledge she has now, no doubt her commands were much more….effective."

Cassie stared at him, hoping he would say more but he would not.

* * *

Lucifer had indeed taken being a good father to a rather infuriating, at least to Cassie, level. He left the mothering mostly to her but he was constantly asking detailed questions about human development and any other things he could think of related to a baby. On the other hand, he did freely steal the boy, leaving Cassie in a fury, in order to play with him or teach him things he never revealed to her. He didn't feel the need to ask or to give much of an explanation when they returned.

Azazeal's response to her complaints was always, "Luke's his son, my love, and he's not in any danger. Let him be a father."

Cassie never really wanted to stop him from seeing the child, even when she was annoyed, because it was clear that Luke adored him but sometimes it was just hard to deal with Lucifer's determination to be what he considered to be a good father.

* * *

On the night of their first Christmas together, Luke had just reached the age that his body would stay, but he was still a boy at heart. When there was a knock at the front door of the church, he was the one who ran full speed to answer it. He came back with a basket in his arms and presented it to Cassie with Azazeal and his father peering over her shoulder. There was something moving under the blanket in the basket and she pulled it away expecting to find puppies…but there was a newborn baby girl underneath.

* * *

**_Updated 09/03/2008_**

Cassie, of course, fell in love at first sight and there was no question of the baby staying with them. If the mother ever came for her, well…but there was no reason why they couldn't look after her until then.

"Elizabeth," Lucifer insisted when they tried to name her.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cassie retorted but he was firm.

"You're sure?" she asked more kindly and he nodded with certainty.

Just as Cassie was settling into mother mode again and getting ready to enjoy it nice and slowly as it should be instead of lightning quick as with angelic children, Lucifer butted in again. He was well and truly annoying, although never was there a better parent.

He took the knowledge that he'd gained with Luke, who was now more occupied with chasing Cassie's daughter Sara, and perfected it with this little girl. During her first 6 years, he patiently learned everything there was to know and Cassie pretty much had to sit back and watch because Azazeal convinced her it was the best thing for him. The child remained with them at the church and Cassie did get stuck with some of the more "human" duties but Lucifer was her primary caretaker and playmate.

He knew all of her favorite games, what made her smile, what made her laugh, and what scared her. He learned the precise temperature that she liked the milk in her bottle and then later the precise amount of milk needed to adequately complete her morning cereal. He learned the colors that she liked and then the combinations that she like to wear them in. He learned how quickly she could go from a buddle of joy into the I'm tired tantrum and he knew the best way to calm her and get her to rest. He knew how to explain things to her so that she would understand and he knew what she was talking about in her childish way when no one had any clue.

Luke liked her too and he was often are part of their little adventures. He called her Yaz instead of Elizabeth or Beth because Lucifer had taken to calling her Ysro El which meant God's Promise and which was also the meaning of the name Elizabeth.

Cassie was more grateful than annoyed but perhaps if Azazeal had told her that although Lucifer had technically moved back home to Elizabeth's old house in California, he returned each night to invisibly watch over the child like a guardian angel, she might have been a bit irritated.

When little Elizabeth turned six, Lucifer announced that he was taking her home with him.

"Absolutely not!" was Cassie's response but Azazeal stepped in, having already discussed this with Lucifer.

"She'll still be here everyday, hm, they'll take dinner with us. But she needs to start school and there are too many distractions here."

Cassie hated that he was right. Their children hadn't needed to go to school until they were much older and only then really for the social interaction. This child needed a more human life and strangely Lucifer was in the best position to give that to her right now.

"He's obsessed!" Cassie fumed when Lucifer had taken all of her stuff and left.

Azazeal looked confused for a moment and then laughed at her. She scowled back but when he put his arms around her she softened.

"Of course, his is," he said, "That is his nature. Elizabeth never had the _adoiani _to command him before and he was never this motivated to serve her perfectly, but…," Azazeal shrugged and he didn't need to explain how much the pain of Elizabeth's death had changed his friend from the evil devil that he had been. He also didn't bother to tell her that he suspected that more was going on than Lucifer getting absurdly attached to a human child.

_adoiani – means confidence but also belief and force_

* * *

Lucifer made little Elizabeth comfortable and then fussed about putting things away before he realized that he'd forgotten about dinner. He had purposely tried to avoid such a situation by agreeing with Azazeal that they would return to England, yes back in time, each night for dinner. Lucifer had mastered breakfast and lunch was, of course, a breeze, but dinner confounded him.

"Are you hungry, honey?" he asked carefully.

No, she shook her head and continued with whatever it was she was doing with her toy horses. Later Lucifer was spared a culinary disaster by Elizabeth being satisfied with saline crackers and peanut butter.

That night he tucked her into the guest room bed and then retired to the master bedroom where he hadn't slept since…

He stood there for a while staring at the bed before taking off his clothes and slipping under the covers. Not an hour later he opened his eyes from a fitful attempt at sleep to a visitor staring at him.

"I can't sleep, Luce," she complained drowsily. Before she could say Lucifer she had called him Luce and it had stuck, though no one else dared to use this nickname.

He blinked at her and then turned to reach for his boxer shorts on the floor, he was notoriously messy, and slipped them on before inviting her in to bed with him. She fell asleep quickly as did he.

The next night and for that whole week, they followed the same ritual, except that now he didn't sleep naked and by week two he had added a black t-shirt to his night time attire. After a month, he didn't even try to put her in the other bed at all and when she fell asleep early, he tucked her in to his bed and joined her later.

* * *

**Updated 09/08/2008**

Lucifer put the butter in the pan and watched it sizzle. The Prince of Darkness was making pancakes, not that he would have seen the humor in this since he took his job very seriously.

This morning he had awoken with Elizabeth burrowed into this chest and a little hand gripping his shirt. He had wanted to stay but it was Sunday and they needed to get to church, so he had gently pried her hand from his shirt and slipped away to the kitchen. Neither Azazeal nor Cassie knew that Lucifer let her sleep with him: Cassie because she would freak out and Azazeal so that he didn't have to lie to Cassie. Azazeal would have understood the silent agreement between them that neither one of them wanted to sleep alone and how easy it was for an angel to separate such things from any sexual connotation.

Little Elizabeth was in school now, Catholic school, and they went to church now, every Sunday. He had decided long ago that she should go to the same schools and learn the same things that Elizabeth had, though she already knew exactly who and what he was.

He had explained it first with Azazeal as a back up and she had listened carefully and considerately, which hadn't really surprised either of them much because she was an intelligent child. When she learned about Lucifer and the devil in religion class at school, she came home and told him quite indignantly that her teachers had it all wrong and it made him laugh. Initially, she had agreed easily enough not to tell anyone about him, but after hearing the human view of things, she was itching to put them straight; however she agreed to respect their original agreement when he reminded her of it.

Lucifer heard her get up from bed and go to the guest room to get herself ready. A short time later, she walked into the kitchen and sat down at her spot.

"Morning, Luce," she said pleasantly.

"Morning, honey," he said as he put the finished pancakes, the height of his culinary achievement, on the plates and brought them over to the table. He set them down and then added, "You didn't tie your shoes."

She shrugged and reached for the syrup.

She was old enough, Cassie had informed him, to be doing this on her own, but it was something that frustrated her, so sometimes she just plain refused. He understood how she felt, though Cassie would have berated him for spoiling her. The way he saw it, this was not like some things that had to be trained into a child and she would figure it out eventually like everyone else, so he knelt and tied them for her one more time. When he looked up at her, she was watching him with a smile that was just for an instant more knowing than it should have been. His heart leapt but he made himself get up and eat his breakfast.

After church, she wanted to visit the Virgin Mary in one of the alcoves, so they waited for everyone to leave before making their way over. As they approached, they saw one of the older priests kneeling there and he turned slightly to smile at Elizabeth as she knelt next to him.

A few moments later he blessed himself, rose, and turned around to go, but when he saw Lucifer standing quietly behind them, he let out a small cry of terror.

"I know what you are!" he announced in a hushed voice and then plucking up his courage he took a step closer and started to intone, "_I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every Satanic power of the enemy, every spectre from hell, and all your fell companions; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Begone and stay far from this creature of God. For it is He who commands you, He who flung you headlong from the heights of heaven into the depths of hell. It is He who commands you, He who once stilled the sea and the wind and the storm. Hearken, therefore, and tremble in fear, Satan, you enemy of the faith, you foe of the human race, you begetter of death, you robber of life, you corrupter of justice, you root of all evil and…"_

Lucifer's pained expression only encouraged the priest and as Lucifer began to step backwards away from them the priest pursued him.

"How DARE you?" Elizabeth's normally childlike voice took on such righteous fury that it shocked even Lucifer as she moved to stand in front of him protectively. The priest had stopped the _Rituale Romanum _which Lucifer appreciated because it had been getting very uncomfortable to stay. He could sit in church easily, crosses did not horrify him, holy water did not burn him but he was ultimately still a creature of God and must obey such commands from a true believer.

"Come away, child," the priest said inching forward to snatch Elizabeth away, "This creature is evil and much be banished from this place."

She was just about to give him another piece of her mind when he made a quick move and took hold of her arm. At this Lucifer's rather neutral expression changed to pure rage and even the faithful priest shuddered and tried to stammer out more of the _Rituale._

Elizabeth yanked herself away from him as Lucifer brushed past her, his intent clearly written on his features, "_Amis_ " Elizabeth said. She knew just a little angelic because she was too young to fully put her feelings behind it properly, but this one word, Stop, had been expressed perfectly.

To the priest's great surprise, Lucifer stopped, turn towards her, and bowing his head slightly, stepped back from his intended victim.

"He is with me," Elizabeth said meaningfully to the confused man.

"Child, please…"

"HE is with me," she said again as if this explained everything the man could want to know about this situation. If Lucifer thought he would listened, he would have tried to explain that she meant this in the angelic way, but even then the man probably wouldn't have understood as well as a child could. He went where she went, not always and everywhere like a guardian angel, but similarly and it was unthinkable to try to separate them. She, of course, gave no credence to the "rumours" of him being evil. She was not old enough to truly understand what he had been before, so she just accepted him as he was now.

Elizabeth still glaring at the priest, held out her hand to Lucifer, which he took and they left the church hand in hand.

When they were at Azazeal's church later that day for dinner, Lucifer related the mornings events.

"You're serious, he actually…and then she…?"

"Yes," Lucifer said as evenly as he could but his eyes were brimming with hope.

"I didn't believe you, you know," Azazeal admitted.

"I had to believe," Lucifer replied.

Azazeal nodded. When Lucifer had come to Azazeal for support in taking the child home with him years ago, he had told him the other command that Elizabeth had given, but that he had not shared. She had promised that she was going to send him someone to take care of him but he had to take care of her first. At first Lucifer's heart had recoiled from this, but when the baby arrived and he'd set eyes on her, he had realized that she was that promise fulfilled and being a good father did not only apply to his son. So he had taken up the task of raising this little girl knowing yet another thing about her that Azazeal did not.

* * *

**Updated 09/12/2008**

"I am with you," Lucifer murmured to a half asleep Elizabeth as he kissed her on the forehead and put her to bed that night. She made a contented grumbling noise and drifted off to sleep.

He wondered if she comprehended what her acknowledgement meant to him. She, of course, had been raised among the angels, like Luke and Sara, and she knew a great many things about their ways. All of them had taken the time to talk with her and explain what their purpose was when she asked. She understood that many angels followed a mortal that needed them, sometimes by invitation and sometimes covertly, and that certain angels attached themselves to one person exclusively, while others stayed free to help where they would do the most good. But did she know that for him, the most exclusive of angels, hearing her say that made his heart swell? Probably not, he thought.

It didn't much matter since a growing child requires enough attention that he never found himself lacking something to do for her whether she saw the significance or not. Cassie remained his main source of information about the little human things and she was amazed by his caring and attention to detail, but as Azazeal had told her, Elizabeth had commanded this. She must have done so in such a way he considered all of these little things as his duty.

It was kind of fun for Cassie though to watch his brow knit or his lips press together in concern when something happened to little Elizabeth that he could not, well…should not really, heal. When she got sick or hurt herself, they had agreed that he shouldn't just make it go away but that didn't stop him from sometimes turning into an over-protective bully that snarled at everyone who tried to help. Even that managed to make Cassie laugh because watching Lucifer go all I'm-the-Lord-of-Hell on everyone over a child was quite amusing especially when she was the only one he trusted enough shove him out of the way and fuss over Elizabeth herself.

As Elizabeth got older, Cassie noticed that Lucifer seemed to listen a little too closely to her opinions about things as she learned about politics and the world. He sometimes forgot himself and Cassie knew of specific instances where he had made "adjustments" for her but they were such small things and it didn't spill over into him spoiling her so Cassie let it go.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. He did indulge her in many ways, but she was not spoiled. That was probably because she was such a reasonable child. Cassie had seen her childishly demand something that she could not be given, as children do, and Lucifer would matter-of-factly and unpatronizingly tell her why it was not immediately possible, his angelic abilities notwithstanding, and when it might be possible. She would consider this and sometimes she would sulk, but most of the time she would see his reasoning and refocus her attention on something else. Although Elizabeth knew he was an angel and must have known something of what he was capable of, she never directly asked him to use his abilities for her. She asked for what she wanted and left it to him to decide the rest.

Of course, every other thing he gave her freely. She'd grown out of toys and her main focus became her horse riding lessons. She had wanted a horse of her own from the time she knew what they were and he could have given her a stable full, but Lucifer had explained to her how much time and attention horses needed and between the two of them, they decided to wait until she graduated from high school. Until then she could satisfy her fancy at the local stables.

Cassie was very proud of Lucifer and how well he had managed to raise her, but that's probably because she didn't really know was where being an angel and being a good father really met. While he was practical about some things there was no reason why he couldn't wrap her in his wings and show her what the inside of hurricane looked like because of a science project she was working on or take her to the rainforest of South America introduce her to some rare animal because she had a report due. No reason why he couldn't tell her who killed Kennedy, though no one would believe her anyway, or where Emilia Earhart's plane crashed down. And there was certainly no reason why he couldn't take her to the Globe Theatre in London…to watch a Shakespeare play…in Shakespeare's time so that her opinions on the undercurrents of incest between Hamlet and his mother were based on the original version of the play.

As she grew into a young lady, she became very lovely but she paid little attention to it. Despite her relatively normal life with Lucifer in California, must of her spare time was spent in England and the angelic family there. Cassie worried a bit when Elizabeth was a sophomore in high school and did not have a boyfriend.

"He doesn't scare them off does he?" Cassie asked when they had a moment alone.

"Oh, no," Elizabeth smiled and blushed slightly, "I don't unleash him on anybody."

"You know, I can get a small army together to pin him down if you want to, you know, go on a date or something."

Elizabeth laughed, "He's not that bad, really, he's not. He knows all of my friends, though they don't know him for obvious reasons, and I've stolen a kiss or two here and there," she looked down at her hands, "from a particularly cute friend of mine."

"And?"

"It was nice," Elizabeth responded wistfully. She appeared to want to say more but stopped herself and then dropped the topic all together. Cassie let it drop too and figured that much like her at that age, Elizabeth already yearned for something more than mere boys could give her and she was willing to wait until she could get what she wanted.

* * *

Early in the morning of her 18th birthday, which they celebrated on Christmas day, she awoke and watched Lucifer sleeping peacefully beside her. She smiled to herself at the thought that they had been sleeping chastely side-by-side since she had been 6 years old. When she had begun to notice boys, her faithful caretaker had by necessity remained a completely non-sexual entity in her mind, but today…today was the day she tossed aside the pretense.

Elizabeth reached up her hand and stroked his face and he opened his eyes. She smiled brightly at him and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly. She ran her hand along his shirt covered chest and then slipped her hand under the fabric.

"Naneel," he breathed as she continued to touch him. She nodded and moved closer as tears began to form in his eyes. She slipped her hand over his hip and down the back of his body so that she could press against him. All of a sudden he flung his arms around her and anguished moan escape him. Then the shaking started. It wasn't elegant or complex but there was no fear behind the outpouring of love and joy that came from him, so she settled into his embrace and met his emotional display with a kind affirmative, until he relaxed in her arms again.

She waited a few moments before beginning to explore him again. He sighed softly in her ear but before long the feel of her set him trembling again, this time wildly vowing obedience through more tears of joy.

It was too much for him, too soon, she thought to herself, and she hadn't thought her plan of action through. She'd known since she could remember that she was here for him and the memories had started to fill themselves in as she got older. She had been waiting until she turned 18 to acknowledge who she was and she was sure he had known all along too, but it hadn't occurred to her how much he'd had been holding back. Now in the moment, she understood that he was just an angel returned to his master after having done her will. He had gone immediately back to where they had left off in their relationship, and quite a bit further actually if she remembered his prior level of submission correctly, but it had been a long time since he had been in her presence and he was overjoyed.

Well, she'd made quite a mess of this, all things considered. He wasn't ready to respond to her as anything other than an angel yet, despite her designs on a gently educating her new body in the wonders of sex. She had caressed him wanting pleasure and he had responded naturally with adoration. This was her fault but it was easy enough to calm him. She slipped out of her pajamas and gently pulled him out of his shirt and shorts a well. He had come, of course, it was the body's only response that even remotely approached the feeling of angelic worship, but the sensation had been drowned out in his spiritual pleasure. She then pressed herself against the length of his body and held him tightly. She knew what it was about nudity that appealed to the angels and she used it to her advantage now. They laid like that for a long time, her close proximity reassuring him of his place with her and making his declarations of love and surrender unnecessary.

Eventually, they had to get up and get themselves ready for Christmas day with Cassie, Azazeal, and the others. Elizabeth had further cause to scold herself for her impulsiveness this morning.

When she got up and when to the bathroom to take a shower, there came Lucifer padding after her, so she let him in and they showered together. She was lucky, she decided, that she retained so much knowledge about angels from her time in their incorporeal realm, that she remembered him so well, and that she was not really the 18 year old girl that she appeared to be. Otherwise, this day would have been unbearably weird.

When they arrived at the church, Cassie immediately noticed the change. Elizabeth strode confidently down the length of the building and Lucifer had taken his old spot at her left heel. Cassie narrowed her eyes questioningly at Elizabeth when she reached them and when her eyes flicked over to Azazeal, Cassie turned to him as well.

"I don't think I need to spell it out, do I?" Azazeal said with a smirk on his lips that Cassie wanted to wipe off, but she was torn between kissing him and smacking him, as per usual.

Elizabeth moved to sit down and Lucifer moved with her but instead of sitting next to her, he sat at her feet, leaning against the couch with his head against her leg. She ignored the strangeness of this and putting her fingers in his hair, she merely commented, "I went a bit too far."

"Yes, I can see that," Azazeal replied with amusement.

Cassie sat down opposite Elizabeth and said, "Explain!"

* * *

**Updated 09/22/2008**

And so Elizabeth explained what she remembered. She couldn't remember specifics but she had known that Lucifer was falling apart so she had argued and pushed and badgered until finally "they" agreed to send her soul back in a new body. What she lacked in information about heaven was made up for in the understanding that she brought back.

There was a small faction of angels who were jealous of Lucifer because they were smart enough to understand that he had been chosen for something but not wise enough to not covet it for themselves. Even though they didn't understand what he might have been chosen for, the fact that he had not been outright destroyed once he started corrupting the mortals was suspicious enough to overcome their shock at what he had become and keep their eyes on him. It had been those angels that had schemed to take her away and it had been wiser angels who had agreed to send her back.

"I knew from the beginning that I was here for him," Elizabeth said looking down at him for a moment, "but the memories filled in slowly. I only remembered that we had been together about 2 years ago and then this morning I kind of…stepped forward into myself again."

"Okay, okay," Cassie said, you could tell she was mentally digesting this and would soon accept it, "But why is he on the floor?"

"Ah," Elizabeth said, and glanced at Azazeal who met her grin with an even look, "He's happy….He….It is his place."

Cassie gave her a questioning look.

"Have Azazeal explain," she suggested, "He'll do a much better job than I will and it will give him an opportunity to show you…"

"He won't be easy, you know," Azazeal interrupted her purposely, "not until you…"

"I know," Elizabeth said, "I know. I owe it to him."

Azazeal nodded and Cassie regarded both of them with annoyance for talking in riddles.

Elizabeth understood her frustration but how could she explain it to her?

"I think we should go," Elizabeth said suddenly and rose from the couch. Lucifer rose next to her too.

"No, stay," Cassie entreated, "It's been so long," and she wrapped Elizabeth in a bear hug.

"We'll be back. We've got some unfinished business," Elizabeth said with a smirk and Cassie wasn't sure if she should be happy for her friend or uncomfortable because the girl she practically raised was going to have sex for the firs time.

Elizabeth put her hand in Lucifer's and the disappeared.

* * *

All throughout the visit with Cassie and Azazeal, Lucifer had been sending her polite images of himself naked and willing, as well as the fleeting sensation of feathers brushing against her body. This was his not so subtle way of letting her know that his mind now understood her body's desire and he was ready to fulfill it.

This was a great improvement on his previous tactics which had generally included raunchy sexual innuendo, impromptu make out sessions that barely made it to a private location, flirtation with other women to get a rise out of her, and sometimes graphic sexual imagery which tended to consist of her doing kinky and often sadistic things to him.

Of course, it was obvious to her now that he didn't need to do those things any more. The sexual imagery in particular had been meant to encourage her use of him in whatever way she could dream up. But now she understood and felt her place, and she knew that he did too. He belonged to her, every physical part, every spiritual aspect, and every ounce of potential. She wouldn't deny it anymore, it did him no good, it made him worse in some ways, and she was certain that she could accept what he offered without being corrupted. Well, they were about to find out.

* * *

Elizabeth took it slowly, very slowly. She wanted to savor their first time together again and she didn't want to overwhelm him, though he had calmed down significantly since this morning. The feel of their bodies against each other was so natural and right that they spent a considerable amount of time exploring one another. When Elizabeth finally pushed him on his back and slid him into her, they both let out sighs of satisfied relief and Lucifer put his hands on her hips to guide and steady her. Soon Elizabeth gently pulled his hands away from her hips and pushed them towards his head. He obediently reached back and grabbed the bars of the headboard and relinquished all control.

He knew why she had done it. Beyond the fact that she had always enjoyed watching him react to her unrestricted movements, she was demonstrating the intangible command and authority behind requiring that he fulfill that desire and he could feel it like an old friend. Everything in him responded to it and clamored for more.

He hadn't expected it, but he had kept this physical state for so long and it had been so long since his body had felt sexual pleasure, his hips rocked uncontrollably and he moaned unselfconsciously. The maleness in him yearned to spill every drop of seed for her, an offering on the alter of the female, a promise to give that and more when she wished to create a new life. Already forgetting how he had lost her in the first place in the joy of having her with him again.

His spiritual self too quivered in rapture. She was enjoying this, she wanted this, and he could feel her fulfillment and her pleasure in every part of his being, the angel in him ached to worship her but she hadn't ask it of him yet and he'd already made a bit of a fool of himself this morning. This time he would obey.

The bedroom had always been a place of intense combinations of pleasure for him and he was a float in a sea of physical and spiritual wanting all for her, but it was a test of obedience too and he would not fail it. He would have stayed here for an eternity, it was not unlike certain experiences in heaven, and he could give her the pleasure of his longing forever if that was her desire.

But then he opened his eyes to look up at her, he remembered that this was his Elizabeth. He knew her and she was doing this for him because she now understood what this small form of submission meant to him. She would eventually allow the climax to arrive and the adoration start because she wanted that too and because she would have to give in to the limits of human endurance, but Elizabeth had never really wanted this fine a point on his obedience (little bedroom games aside) even when it came to him doing evil. She had always wanted him to exercise the free will that he had gained since the fall and choose his own path because in the mortal realm the good only mattered if it was freely chosen. He had chosen to shun evil, even in his madness, 18 years ago because she had taught him this lesson and he had understood the choice he had. She now knew what she did not then, that because he was an angel, capable of infinite possibility, both good and evil, his choice was intimately intertwined with his love for her and not simply a set of choices of how to act in particular situations as it was for a mortal. But that didn't change what she expected of him.

And so for her, for his lover, for this woman, he made another choice. He released his hands from the head board and slid them across her thighs and up her back, pulling her down to him, and then clinging to her, he let everything go. His body, his mind, his spirit offered themselves unbidden and he relished the audacity of it, having been so focused on obeying her commands from all those years ago.

This pleased her and the fact that he had known that it would did not detract from the wave of ecstasy that it send through him. This time she didn't ignore his offer. She acknowledged his fulfillment of the mission she'd set for him and she accepted everything from him as his reward. And then he sang a song of joy at being with her again.

When his arms weakened and he let her go, she rolled off of him and, laying next to him, ran her hand along his body, pressing her body close. The human act of mating may have been over and the angelic song may have ended but he had not yet replaced the physical barriers that separated them. She could still touch what was hers, what he had always been waiting for her to take though she had not understood before she had left this world and returned. He had tried to tell her, tried to show her, but even when Luke was conceived and his willingness to submit had been as clear as it could be, she had not been able to understand just how much of himself an angel could give.

He relaxed under her touch and the feel of her essence against his. After only a few hours of her acknowledging her return, here he was at his most vulnerable. She couldn't really destroy him, though she could cause some real agony, but he was hers again and he wouldn't do anything half way.

Elizabeth continued to caress him knowing that she had accepted a level of control over him that she had shied away from before but that was necessary. All of his power was hers and he would do anything that she asked, including make his own choices, but only by accepting him completely was she worthy of asking that of him. She kind of felt a bit silly not realizing before just how complex his attention seeking was.

She also felt silly that with as much time as they had spent naked together today, she still hadn't manged to get her release. But then again, she was well aware of the things he could do to make up for it.

**

* * *

**_Please, please, please review...I know I'm crazy but I like to hear what people think. This is honesty what I think would have happened if I'd had her die and I'm beginning to be exeedingly glad I didn't._


	56. Soundtrack

This is just a fun little extra. I have a soundtrack in my head for certain characters at various points in the story. It's sort of a work in progress as I listen to my favorite albums and artists and the connections occur to me. Enjoy!

**Azazeal**

**It's No Good by Depeche Mode (You know you want him too!)**

I'm going to take my time  
I have all the time in the world  
To make you mine  
It is written in the stars above  
The gods decree  
You'll be right here by my side  
Right next to me  
You can run, but you cannot hide

Don't say you want me  
Don't say you need me  
Don't say you love me  
It's understood  
Don't say you're happy  
Out there without me  
I know you can't be  
'cause it's no good

I'll be fine  
I'll be waiting patiently  
Till you see the signs  
And come running to my open arms  
When will you realise  
Do we have to wait till our worlds collide  
Open up your eyes  
You can't turn back the tide

Don't say you want me  
Don't say you need me  
Don't say you love me  
It's understood  
Don't say you're happy  
Out there without me  
I know you can't be  
'cause it's no good

I'm going to take my time  
I have all the time in the world  
To make you mine  
It is written in the stars above

Don't say you want me  
Don't say you need me  
Don't say you love me  
It's understood  
Don't say you're happy  
Out there without me  
I know you can't be  
'cause it's no good

**Spiders by Editors (Sneaky, Manipulative Azazeal!)**

There're spiders in your room  
But there always will be  
There're people to be fooled  
And there always has been

Hold out your hand, hold out your hand I will carry you  
Hold out your hand, hold out your hand, come back to me**  
**Come back to me

With your back to the wall  
You've got one place to fall  
Sometimes its all better unknown

Every little piece, pulls in its own direction  
Please love, don't be scared  
It's just your own reflection

Hold out your hand, hold out your hand I will carry you  
Hold out your hand, hold out your hand, come back to me  
Come back to me

With your back to the wall  
You've got one place to fall  
Sometimes its all better unknown

With your back to the wall  
You've got one place to fall  
Sometimes its all better unknown

With your back to the wall  
You've got one place to fall  
Sometimes its all better unknown

**Barrel of a Gun by Depeche Mode (Azazeal feeling miserable and no longer wanting to be the savior of the fallen angels)**

Do you mean this horny creep  
Set upon weary feet  
Who looks in need of sleep  
That doesn't come  
This twisted, tortured mess  
This bed of sinfulness  
Who's longing for some rest  
And feeling numb

What do you expect of me  
What is it you want?  
Whatever you've planned for me  
I'm not the one

A vicious appetite  
Visits me each night  
And won't be satisfied  
Won't be denied  
An unbearable pain  
A beating in my brain  
That leaves the mark of cain  
Right here inside

What am I supposed to do?  
When everything that I've done  
Is leading me to conclude  
I'm not the one

Whatever I've done  
I've been staring down the barrel of a gun

Is there something you need from me?  
Are you having your fun?  
I never agreed to be  
Your holy one

Whatever I've done  
I've been staring down the barrel of a gun

**Call me by The House of Love (Azazael who wants Cassie to need him)**

Call me with your song  
when you're in danger  
when you're alone  
Won't you say you want me  
Won't you say you need me

Then we will crawl through the storm  
and all that is damned  
and the history of the world  
that is written here in print  
And the story of the Byrds  
when they ruled our burning skies  
you can call me through the smog  
and I'll serenade you with my smile

Call me with your song  
when you're in danger  
when you're alone  
Won't you say you want me, need me, touch me, hold me now

Call me  
Won't you call me, I want you to call me, won't you call me  
Won't you just call

**Brand New Colony by The Postal Service (Azazael wants to be useful to Cassie)**

I'll be the grapes fermented,  
Bottled and served with the table set in my finest suit  
Like a perfect gentlemen  
I'll be the fire escape that's bolted to the ancient brick  
Where you will sit and contemplate your day

I'll be the waterwings that save you if you start drowning  
In an open tub when your judgement's on the brink  
I'll be the phonograph that plays your favorite  
Albums back as your lying there drifting off to sleep...  
I'll be the platform shoes and undo what heredity's done to you...  
You won't have to strain to look into my eyes  
I'll be your winter coat buttoned and zipped straight to the throat  
With the collar up so you won't catch a cold

I want to take you far from the cynics in this town  
And kiss you on the mouth  
We'll cut out bodies free from the tethers of this scene,  
Start a brand new colony  
Where everything will change,  
We'll give ourselves new names (identities erased)  
The sun will heat the grounds  
Under our bare feet in this brand new colony  
Everything will change, oOo oOo...

**Lucifer**

**To Have and To Hold by Depeche Mode (Lucifer realizing that he wants a mate)**

I need to be cleansed  
Its time to make amends  
For all of the fun  
The damage is done  
And I feel diseased  
I'm down on my knees  
And I need forgiveness  
Someone to bear witness  
To the goodness within  
Beneath the sin  
Although I may flirt  
With all kinds of dirt  
To the point of disease

Now I want release  
From all this decay  
Take it away  
And somewhere  
There's someone who cares  
With a heart of gold  
To have and to hold

**Want by Recoil (Nasty and bad Lucifer explaining himself to Elizabeth and yet trying to scare her at the same time. But there is a hint of the love he feels for her in some of the things he says.)**

I want to know how it'll end.  
I want to be sure of what it'll cost.  
I want to strangle the stars for all they promised me.  
I want you to call me on your drug phone.  
I want to keep you alive so there is always the possibility of murder later.  
I want to be there when you learn the cost of desire.  
I want you to understand that my malevolence is just a way to win  
I want the name of the ruiner.  
I want matches in case I have to suddenly burn.  
I want you to know that being kind is overrated.  
I want to write my secret across your sky.  
I want to watch you lose control.  
I want to watch you lose.  
I want to know exactly what it's going to take.  
I want to see you insert yourself into glory.  
I want your touches to scar me so I'll know where you've been.  
I want you to watch when I go down in flames.  
I want a list of atrocities done in your name.  
I want to reach my hand into the dark and feel what reaches back.  
I want to remember when my nightmares were clearer.  
I want to be there when your hot black rage rips wide open.  
I want to taste my own kind.  
I want to be wrapped in cold wet sheets to see if it's different on this side.  
I want you to come on strong.  
I want to leave you out in the cold.  
I want the exact same thing... but different.  
I want some soft drugs.. some soft, soft drugs.  
I want to throw you.  
I want you to know I know.  
I want to know if you read me.  
I want to swing with my eyes shut and see what I hit.  
I want to know just how much you hate me so I can predict what you'll do.  
I want you to know the wounds are self-inflicted.  
I want a controlling interest.  
I want to be somewhere beautiful when I die.  
I want to be your secret hater.  
I want to stop destroying you but I can't.  
And I want and I want and I want.  
And I will always be hungry.  
And I want and I want and I want...

**Behind the Wheel by Depeche Mode (Lucifer trying to explain to Elizabeth that he wants her in charge)**

My little girl  
Drive anywhere  
Do what you want  
I don't care

Tonight  
I'm in the hands of fate  
I hand myself  
Over on a plate

Now

Oh little girl  
There are times when I feel  
I rather not be  
The one behind the wheel

Come  
Pull my strings  
Watch me move  
I do anything

Please

Sweet little girl  
I prefer  
You behind the wheel  
And me the passenger

Drive  
I'm yours to keep  
Do what you want  
I'm going cheap

Tonight

Youre behind the wheel, tonight

**Higher Love by Depeche Mode (Lucifer in love!)**

I can taste more than feel  
This burning inside is so real  
I can almost lay my hands upon  
The warm glow that lingers on

Moved, lifted higher  
Moved, my soul's on fire  
Moved, by a higher love

I surrender all control  
To the desire that consumes me whole  
Leads me by the hand to infinity  
Lies in wait at the heart of me

Moved, lifted higher  
Moved, my soul's on fire  
Moved, by a higher love

Heaven bound on the wings of love  
There's so much that you can rise above

Moved, lifted higher  
Moved, moved, by a higher love  
By a higher love

I surrender heart and soul  
Sacrificed to a higher goal

Moved, moved by a higher love  
By a higher love


	57. Deleted Scene

_Deleted Scene from approximately the Chapter 13 / 14 time period. This takes place just after Azazeal's revenge on Lucifer confirms Elizabeth's __suspicions_about what Lucifer wants from her.

* * *

The honeymoon period lasted about four days. For four blissful days after Elizabeth realized what Lucifer needed from her, they talked and laughed and made love like any normal couple. But then reality set in.

"Isn't there anything you want?" Lucifer started in again.

"No, not really. Come back to bed," Elizabeth responded groggily because it was 5 o'clock in the morning and she didn't need to get up for work until 6:30. She hadn't quit her job and she didn't intend to. She figured that she could handle Lucifer just fine while still working a full-time job.

"Well, I need to be doing something," Lucifer said mostly to himself and then he looked back at her, "Any thoughts?" he asked almost desperately but Elizabeth was still too pleased with their new relationship to hear the dangerous tone in his voice.

"Nope, be good, no evil and you'll do fine," she told him.

He nodded and vanished and Elizabeth put her head back on her pillow and went back to sleep. Lucifer was gone for three days.

* * *

When Lucifer strolled into Elizabeth's office three days later with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin on his face, Elizabeth knew they were going to have a fight. She already knew that she had made a mistake in not taking him seriously the other morning but she had been hoping that she would only have a minor mess to clean up this time.

Lucifer popped down in her visitor's chair and said, "Hello, baby."

Before Elizabeth could say a word the office receptionist came scurrying in with a cup of coffee and a muffin for 'Mr. Morningstar.'

"Thank you, dear," he said to the girl who blushed and almost ran into the wall as she tried to leave.

"I would have made an appointment but considering how…intimately we know each other, I though that I would just…."

WAAAM! Elizabeth slammed her office door shut and glared at her…well, boyfriend.

"Don't say another word!" She told him through clenched teeth. Lucifer nodded obligingly but he couldn't keep the amused grin off of his face.

Elizabeth went to her desk and called her boss to tell him that she wasn't feeling well and was going home. Then she grabbed Lucifer by the elbow and dragged him as inconspicuously as she could out of her office and to her car. He chuckled all the way to the parking structure but followed her.

"Get in the car," she yelled.

"I don't do human transportation, honey," he cooed.

"GET…IN…THE….CAR!"

"Alright, sweetie, I'll meet you at home, shall I?" Lucifer said and then he disappeared.

All the way home, Elizabeth was fuming. How did she ever think she could have a relationship with the Devil? He had disappeared for three days and then just showed up at her work acting like an arrogant bastard…she was furious and she didn't even know what horrible things he had been doing for the past few days.

When she asked him, he would tell her. She knew that. And he then would gloat.

* * *

"What did I do?" Lucifer asked casually, "What didn't I do, is probably a better question, dear. A little lying, a little stealing, a little hatred, a little tearing families to bits…and a lot of torture: physical, emotional, spiritual. It's very diverting, you know, and the best thing is," as Lucifer lowered his voice as if he were telling her a secret, "when I get through with them they go out into the world and do my work for me."

"STOP! I don't want to hear anymore!"

"Oh, come on, honey, you let me out to play and now you don't like the game?"

"How could you do those things?"

"I've been doing them for centuries. And I'm quite good at it. For instance…"

"No!"

"Don't you want to know what I did for you?"

"For me? I didn't tell you to…"

"Listen, woman," Lucifer's voice changed from playful to angry in an instant, "I gave you my body. I expect something in return. Don't you understand?"

Elizabeth's anger blossomed into rage at the change of his tone. She was trying here, really she was, but she didn't understand him. All she saw was an arrogant prick who was now angry at her for not being interested in hearing about his debauchery. She was bursting with the desire to smack that condescending look off of his face.

"Aww," Lucifer crooned and Elizabeth's rage cooled in confusion, "You want to teach me a lesson, do you?"

Lucifer moved towards her and pressed his chest against her.

"Well, I…" she said and took a step back.

"You want to put me in my place, perhaps?" And he took a few more steps forward as she backed up.

"I…"

"You want to punish me?"

"Ah!" Elizabeth let out a small gasp as she had backed into the bed and sat down on the edge rather abruptly.

Lucifer smiled down at her and then leaned forward to put his lips to her ear.

"Why didn't you just say so?" he murmured.

Elizabeth then felt something in her hand that hadn't been there before. She turned to head away from Lucifer's lips to glance down and she found that a neatly coiled leather whip was clutched in her right

hand.

"You see?" he said.

"I couldn't….I…that's not…"

"But you want to, don't you? You want to make me stop. You want to show me your anger."

"No…I…"

"And you want to feel what it's like when the force of the stroke quivers along the leather and back to your hand."

Elizabeth's face burned with embarrassment and discomfort. How could he know such things? And why would he play with those dark thoughts now? Her shame could only inflame her anger further. But, of course, he knew that too.

Elizabeth looked up at him and he met her gaze with a strangely encouraging smile.

"But…" she tried one last time to talk herself out of this.

Lucifer leaned closer again and whispered to her, "God never gives you more than you can handle."

* * *

_I am now starting to post some original work at FictionPress under the pen name Carina Pir. The first story is a different take on the fallen angel Lucifer._


End file.
